2024 - Channel 5 Belize

Eleven-year-old Shooting Victim Making Good Recovery Progress

Police have officially charged Curtis Molina with three counts of murder for the tragic deaths of Elvis, Emerita, and their three-year-old son Ellis Garbutt. On Saturday evening, the Garbutt family was ambushed on their way home by Molina, who was armed with a shotgun. The attack left three family members and their dog dead at the scene, while the two surviving children, aged eleven and eight, managed to escape. The eldest child suffered gunshot wounds to her face and hand. We spoke with the family today to get an update on her condition. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more details.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

On Saturday, the peaceful village of Monkey River was shattered by the sound of gunshots echoing over the water. The Garbutt family was just minutes from home when their cousin, Curtis Molina, allegedly ambushed their vehicle with a shotgun. The attack claimed the lives of thirty-nine-year-old Elvis Garbutt, thirty-year-old Emerita Garbutt, and their three-year-old son Ellis. Earlier today, police officially charged Molina with three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Elvis’ eight-year-old son managed to escape unharmed, but his eleven-year-old daughter was injured in the face and hand. We spoke with her aunt, Sherret Cuevas, for an update on her recovery.

On the Phone: Sherret Cuevas, Aunt of Shooting Victim

“ The swelling on her face has gone down. She can now speak much better. She can drink. First, she was unable to drink. Her tongue is scarred up, marked up. She’s still not eating hard stuff because she’s complaining about a tooth that is missing on her tongue that is damaged, but she can’t drink, and she can talk. And her face going down a little and her thumb was operated on and I was given good feedback from the doctor on what he was able to do for her thumb.”

At first, it was feared that the child had lost two fingers in the shooting. Thankfully, only her thumb was injured, and it’s showing promising signs of recovery. Doctors are keeping a close eye on the wound on her face, but they’re optimistic that it will heal well too.

On the Phone: Sherret Cuevas

“The pellets in her face or the fragments, whatever they call them, they are not going to remove them. They are saying that the body will either reject them or they will just stay there, form something around it, the body will do, but they don’t have intention right now to remove anything from her face. The only concern they have was with her thumb, tried to save it. And that is the reason why they took us from Dangriga to Belmopan during the night.”

With the two young survivors of the attack being minors, their grieving family now has the heavy responsibility of guiding and caring for them through this difficult time. Mental health counselor Aimee Jex explained that while adults can often recognize and understand their emotions when coping with grief, children might not fully grasp the concept of death yet. Jex offers some valuable advice for new caregivers on how to support these children as they navigate their loss.

Aimee Jex, Mental Health Counselor

“Make time, have conversations, listen as much as possible. And for you, have a place where you can be listened to. Have a place where you can speak freely. Have a place where you feel supported. So if you are the support system for someone, make sure that you have your own support system as well. And that way, we have a place where the children can be a little bit heard. more stable. They feel comfortable there and they can express their sadness, their grief, their pain in a way where they feel free to do so.”

Right now, the children are in the care of their aunts and uncles, who are working tirelessly with social workers to make sure they get the best possible care and support to help them cope with the trauma they’ve been through. Cuevas assured us that the children will receive counseling from medical professionals to aid in their recovery.

On the Phone: Sherret Cuevas

“That’s a definite, because being with her, just when she’s talking, we know that’s a definite thing. And the sooner, the better. The sooner we do it, the better for her, for both of them. Because just imagine going through that. I am not there and I cannot handle the situation and they were there to see all this. So it’s rough to see and hear stuff. That is unimaginable. Yes, we’ll look for counseling for them and it will be best for them to be at the moment or permanent or whatever the case might be in this case, we’re just leaving as is with their maternal part of the family, but we want to seek advice and do what’s best for the kids.”

With Christmas just around the corner, Jex highlights the importance of celebrating the lives of loved ones we’ve lost. She suggests that using their memory can be a powerful way to help children cope with their grief during the holiday season. By honoring and remembering those who have passed, families can find comfort and support in each other.

Aimee Jex

“Especially with children, it’s important to check in with them. It’s important to keep them involved. One of the things that are very special around Christmas time, around birthdays of deceased loved ones, is to celebrate them. It’s to remember that they were important in our lives and they still hold that place in our lives. That is super important, especially around Christmas, around holidays, around birthdays. You want to have these special celebrations of how these important people are still a part of your life. Very often we think of grief and we say, Oh, I don’t want to celebrate this. I don’t want to do anything because this person isn’t here. And that is a valid feeling to have, but you have to remember, if it weren’t for that person, this event would not be as meaningful.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Family of Leonard Baltazar Pleads for Police to Reopen Case

The family of Leonard Baltazar is urging the police to reopen the investigation into the twenty-two-year-old’s death. On December eleventh, Baltazar was found dead near a resort on Tobacco Caye. Initial reports suggested that two guests at the Reef’s End Lodge caught Baltazar trying to burglarize their cabana. Allegedly, a struggle ensued, causing Baltazar to fall off a balcony to his death. However, his family disputes this account. They claim that Baltazar tried to flee but was chased, leading to his tragic death. We spoke with his stepfather, Vince Higinio, to hear their side of the story.

On the Phone: Vince Higinio, Stepfather of Deceased

“I’m gonna tell you that we did our own investigation, gave the police time to do their investigation. And this is the information that we got from the police. The back door was left open. The man, the tourist, startled mister Leo, startled Leo, and he ran. He ran out the room. The tourist chased him and confronted him outside the room. Self-defense, once the person runs, there’s no longer self-defense because you’re not defending yourself. There’s no threat to your person, and you can look this up in the law. There’s no threat to your person, so he does not have that defence. He confronted, even though, and we’re going to his mother, everyone accepts the fact that he was wrong for being in the room, according to their story, again, we investigated and the story changes. He was wrong for being in the room, but when he ran, he was no longer a threat to the man. Self-defense is you defending yourself. He was defending his property. He wasn’t defending himself. Self-defense claim goes out the window. It has to be looked at again. This is unjust. And I think if it was your family member or any family member that this was done to. And I’m going to tell you this the investigation that we did, Is that the woman, mister Taylor’s wife paid Neil that money that was found in his pocket to come have sex with her. That’s why the back door was open. What happened after that? When he got into the room, we don’t know.”

Britney Gordon

“Okay. And police have not shared this information with you. This is from your own personal investigation.”

On the Phone: Vince Higinio

“Talking to people that were there, some of his friends that were there.”

Cop and B.D.F. on Trial for Alleged Obstruction of Justice

Two law enforcement officers, B.D.F. Private Ramon Alberto Alcoser and Police Corporal Raheem Valencio, are on trial for allegedly trying to obstruct justice. The charges stem from the shocking murder of B.D.F. Soldier Jessie Escobar, which took place on September fifth, 2021, at the Branch Mouth Stop & Shop Store in Santa Familia. The Director of Public Prosecutions has presented the case, alleging that the officers’ accounts of the events that day don’t match the video evidence from the scene, suggesting they lied. Today, the defense began presenting its case. Attorney Marcel Cardona, representing Alcoser, called three witnesses: Alcoser himself, Doctor Alejandro Matus Torres, a psychiatric doctor who diagnosed Alcoser with PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder, and Captain Jairo Che, who denied any coercion to alter the truth. Alcoser’s testimony was emotional and lengthy, describing the traumatic impact of witnessing the death of his friend and colleague, B.D.F. Soldier Zetina. He explained that this event severely affected his mental health, leading to his diagnosis and treatment. Alcoser also claimed he signed statements without reading them due to exhaustion and hunger, suggesting he wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Cardona concluded the defense for his client just before five p.m. The trial continues as the court examines these serious allegations.

63-year-old Spared Jail time for Sexual Assault of Teen Minor

Tonight, a sixty-three-year-old man who was caught on video attempting to assault a thirteen-year-old girl in her school uniform has been spared jail time and fined instead. Emile Brackett, a self-employed resident of Yabra Road in Belize City, initially pleaded guilty to the charge of attempting to sexually assault a minor but changed his plea to not guilty when he learned he could face at least five years in prison. He was granted bail, which he met. However, when his case went to trial this morning, Brackett changed his plea back to guilty and asked the court for mercy. The Chief Magistrate explained that the offense is very serious and typically carries a prison sentence of six to seven years. Considering the gravity of his actions, the young age of the victim, and the fact that Brackett is a first-time offender who showed remorse and saved the court’s time by pleading guilty early, the Chief Magistrate decided to impose a fine instead of a custodial sentence. Brackett was fined one thousand dollars, plus five dollars in court costs, which he must pay by February fourteenth, 2025. The incident occurred on April twenty-fifth, 2024, when Brackett allegedly tried to kiss and rub the face of the minor. The video of the assault went viral, prompting charges against him.

Man and Dog Knocked Down and Killed in Hope Creek

Police are investigating a tragic incident in Stann Creek where a man and his dog were struck and killed by a vehicle. The accident happened this morning along the Stann Creek Valley Road in Hope Creek Village, near the entrance to Dangriga. Witnesses reported that the vehicle involved was a white pickup truck. Police responded quickly and are currently investigating the incident. The victim’s name has not yet been released, but locals say he was often seen walking his dog in the area, likely making his daily rounds with his pet. We’ll give you more details as the story develops.

Guatemalan Navy Exits Belizean Waters After Heated Exchange

This morning around eight-thirty, coast guard personnel at the Hunting Caye outpost spotted a Guatemalan naval vessel in Belizean waters near Ragged Caye, about three miles south of Hunting Caye. Commandant of the Belize Coast Guard, Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, reported that there was an exchange of words between the personnel on the boat and Belizean patrol. After about twenty minutes, the Guatemalan vessel departed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has issued a press release stating that it will strongly protest this illegal incursion by the Guatemalan patrol boat. The ministry is calling on Guatemalan authorities to prevent their armed forces from entering Belizean waters without authorization. They also emphasized that they would continue to engage in dialogue with their Guatemalan counterparts to ensure that Belize’s maritime and territorial integrity, as well as its internationally recognized borders, are respected. Rear Admiral Bennett noted that the Guatemalans claimed they were in their own waters. Unlike previous incidents, the vessel did not run aground on the reef, and no weapons were drawn. Bennett described the encounter as non-aggressive.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“There was a vessel that appeared to be a hydrography vessel that belonged to the Guatemalan Navy, 65 feet in length, and were patrolled then inform them that they were inside Belizean waters. It was an exchange of words at that location. And eventually the Guatemalan patrol vessel, um, departed. We escorted that vessel outside of Belizean waters from here the Ministry of Defense will then inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who would then take lead in following up with a protest note. We believe that and the diplomatic channels would now kick in and that’s the route that we will rely on from now on to confirm exactly what occurred. It wasn’t an aggressive encounter, um, despite that they were inside Belizean waters. There were no weapons drawn, and it was not a grounding.”

Marion Ali

“You said it was an exchange, what did they have to tell us?”

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett

“They reported that they were patrolling Guatemalan waters, and we informed them that this is Belizean waters and eventually they left.”

Coast Guard Commandant: GAF Were Last Here Two Years Ago

Rear Admiral Bennett mentioned that this was the second sighting of a Guatemalan naval vessel in the area in the past two years. However, our records indicate that in September of this year, Guatemalan Armed Forces (GAF) were found in Belizean waters. Reports emerged of Guatemalan naval vessels, including one named Quetzal, spotted off the coast of Barranco Village. Despite being shown GPS coordinates by B.D.F personnel proving they were in Belizean territory, the vessels reportedly refused to leave. Today, Bennett reiterated that the last time a Guatemalan vessel was in our waters was in November 2022. This ongoing issue highlights the tensions and challenges in maintaining our maritime boundaries.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“We’ve had sightings in that area. I think the, the last sighting would have been perhaps two years ago in the same area. And the same thing occurred. We informed them that they were inside Belizean waters and they eventually left. It’s not a usual occurrence that we would see the Guatemalan Navy patrolling in that area. I cannot explain why they would be patrolling inside our sea spaces.”

Coast Guard Training Trainers to Use Drones

Bennett shared that the Coast Guard Service is dedicating significant time to training its personnel on the proper use of their newly acquired drones. These government-provided devices are proving invaluable, allowing access to previously hard-to-reach areas. Alongside the new drones, Bennett mentioned that the Coast Guard has also upgraded its camera surveillance system, enhancing their overall operational capabilities.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“ We’re emphasizing a lot on training. We’ve had a team go up to Mexico City where they continue their training in an effort to build a doctrine for drone operations. And we also had a team that came down from the United States to train our operators as trainers. So we are not able to qualify members of our Belizean team in drone operations. So we’ve been emphasizing a lot on training over the past. I think we, we will launch more operations in a new year starting January. But what we have been doing is to focus more on capacity building.”

Reporter

“Are you blown away by what your drones are able to do?”

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett

“No, we studied those equipment well before we made a decision that this is the one that is most suitable for us. So we’re very happy with what we can do using those drones. And I think the other two drones are expected sometime in January and we’ve already upgrading our camera system.”

With Increased Surveillance is Increase in Wet Drop Seizures

Recently, Bennett noted a significant uptick in illegal maritime activity reported by their counterparts in Mexico. Over the past few months, Mexico has seized around four tons of cocaine. Meanwhile, Guatemala and Honduras have reported nearly double that amount. With the Coast Guard’s enhanced surveillance system, Belize is now better equipped to intercept these “wet drops” that might have previously slipped through the cracks.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“We know that there’s an increase in maritime activities. What we’re trying to do is to improve our surveillance, and that’s why we’ve acquired these drones, um, to support that. We’ve improved our maritime surveillance capability in other areas, using cameras and other, um, technologies, but also relying a lot on intelligence. It’s very difficult tracking these small boats coming from South America with drugs. It’s at least in the air, there’s an air radar system that can pick up these vessels, these aircraft. For us, it’s much more challenging, um, trying to pinpoint one of those, um, drug vessels on the surface.”

No Demarcations in Sea Spaces, but Equi-distancing

Bennett explained that whether it’s Guatemalan naval vessels, illegal fishers, or suspected drug traffickers navigating our southern waters, the Coast Guard takes swift action when they encounter them. He noted that, unlike land borders, there are no specific lines or buoys to mark our sea boundaries. However, there are methods to determine which side of the border you’re on when navigating the seas.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“We’ve never done that that demarcation exercise out at sea. Whilst we know where our land border is, the exercise has never taken place out at sea. And hopefully with the ICJ ruling, then we’ll be able to do that. So, for now, there are no buoys or markers to determine exactly where the official border lies. What we do is to go by equidistance. Say half a distance of sea space between Belize and Guatemala, and then that’s the border. That’s how we exercise our jurisdiction. Uh, we believe this is Belizean waters. They would say this is Guatemalan waters. Whenever we would encounter, uh, fishermen or fisher folk in that area, and it is within what we believe is Belize sea spaces, we would arrest, detain, and we will exercise jurisdiction over that. Unlike what you see happening on land where there’s an adjacency zone and there’s a organization of American States office that manages incidents in there to verify. location and action to be taken that does not exist in the sea spaces. So, the confidence building measures does not extend anywhere out at sea. So, it’s completely down to the two countries to try to, um, use diplomatic measures to try to mitigate, um, and try to manage these incidents.”