Regarding the murder of 24-year-old Mark Waight, which occurred on Saturday, January 25, police on Monday, January 27, formally arrested and charged 22-year-old Peter Amado Lara, a Belizean construction worker from Belize City, with the crime of murder.
Waight was gunned down on Central American Boulevard, between Faber’s Road and Trinity Street, in front of his girlfriend’s home. During the incident, 33-year-old Francine Herbert was critically injured. The violence reportedly began when Waight got into a dispute with another man, who then pulled out a gun and shot him multiple times. Waight collapsed into a nearby drain and was pronounced dead before reaching the K.H.M.H.
Tonight, we report on a tragic incident that unfolded on Saturday night. Mark Waight, who had previously been acquitted of the murder of news reporter Kareem Clarke, was shot dead. Police have detained a suspect in connection with the shooting. The twenty-four-year-old Waight was gunned down, and thirty-three-year-old Francine Herbert was critically injured in the incident. It all happened on Central American Boulevard, between Faber’s Road and Trinity Street, right in front of Waight’s girlfriend’s home. The trouble started when Waight got into a dispute with another man, who then pulled out a gun and shot him multiple times. Waight collapsed into a nearby drain and was pronounced dead before reaching the K.H.M.H. News Five’s Marion Ali has the details.
Marion Ali, Reporting
On Saturday night, twenty-four-year-old Mark Waight’s life was tragically cut short after he got into a heated altercation. The incident occurred just after nine p.m. The Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams provided an update on what the police had learned so far.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Sometime after nine p.m., thereabout, police received reports of shots fired on Faber’s Road. They responded and upon doing so they encountered the lifeless body of Mark Waight in a drain. The body exhibited what appeared to be gunshot injuries. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Another person who was in his company – a female – was also transported to the hospital. She also had gunshot injuries. She’s currently admitted in a critical but stable condition. We’re hoping that she’ll be able to make a full recovery. So far, police have one person detained and our investigation into that matter continues.”
Isani Cayetano
“We understand that as many as twelve rounds, if not more, were fired from what is being described as a high-powered weapon. Is that so?”
Chester Williams
“I don’t know where they get high-powered weapon but the expended shells found were nine millimeter rounds.”
This afternoon, A.C.P. Hilberto Romero had more information on what led to the murder.
“Investigations reveal that Mark Waight and others were socializing at a yard when there was an argument, thereafter somebody pulled out a firearm and fired several shots towards his direction, causing the injuries to him and to Frances Herbert. We have one suspect in custody and the investigation continues at this time.”
Marion Ali
“Can you tell us what the motive of this? I mean, aside from having the dispute, what was the dispute over?”
A.C.P Hilberto Romero
“That is all we have uncovered at this time, that they had some dispute and somebody pulled out a firearm.”
Mark Waight was no stranger to trouble with the law. Back in August 2021, he was involved in a dramatic high-speed chase and shootout with police in the Stann Creek District. During that incident, he was shot in the leg, and police confiscated a .38 revolver from him. At the time, authorities said Waight was part of a group planning a hit in Dangriga. In December 2019, Waight was acquitted of the murder of Amandala journalist Kareem Clarke. Clarke was tragically shot and killed on July sixth, 2015, while riding his bicycle over the bridge at the junction of Vernon and Lakeview Streets. Despite reviewing surveillance footage, police couldn’t identify the shooter, and no witnesses came forward. Waight also faced an attempted murder charge for the shooting of Jamelia Neal, who was shot multiple times while socializing at a shop on Caesar Ridge Road. The shooter in that case had a shirt over his head, making identification difficult. Waight was the father of two young children. Marion Ali for News Five.
Police have provided their side of an incident in Independence Village, where a man claims he was abused by officers. Twenty-four-year-old Emil Rivas was detained at the Belize Bank compound and charged with possessing a knife and resisting arrest. Rivas, who says he has asthma, alleges that he was stripped down to his boxers and left in a cold cell. He also claims that after police told him to run, they beat him and shot him in the stomach and back. However, the police tell a different story. They say Rivas found a machete in a yard and brandished it at them, which led to them shooting him. Today, A.C.P. Hilberto Romero shared the police’s version of events.
“On Friday, the 24th of January 2025, Emil Rivas was detained at Independence for aggravated assault after it is alleged that he had assaulted somebody with a knife. He was taken into custody, where at the station, he jumped out of the back of a police vehicle where he received some injuries. He was immediately apprehended and taken to the cell. where he was detained. Then on Saturday morning, while the cell was being cleaned, he ran from the police who were cleaning the cell. He went to a nearby house where it is alleged that he armed himself with a machete. The police cornered him, and there was a struggle. Attempts were made to disarm him from the machete. A warning shot was fired, but that did not work. At some point, then the police officer shot him to the leg. He’s presently admitted in a stable condition. As in every police shooting, an investigation will be carried out by the Professional Standards Branch.”
Reporter
“Is a particular police officer being looked at in this incident, someone who has been involved in this kind of thing before?”
A.C.P Hilberto Romero
“Well, there are several police officers that were involved, some at the cell block and some who brought him into custody.”
Reporter
“We understand that his mom was turned away allegedly by police when they took him to the hospital. Is it a policy that someone is under detention, family members are not allowed access?”
A.C.P Hilberto Romero
“I’m not aware of that but if he’s in police custody, then at some point, yes, she can visit.”
Reporter
“He has several injuries on him and the allegation is that some of those injuries were inflicted by police. How do you respond?”
A.C.P Hilberto Romero
“Again, the report is that he jumped out of the back of a police vehicle, he received injuries. Thereafter, efforts were made to try and disarm him from the machete, so some force was used on him. So again, I said an investigation will be carried out.”
Robert Usher, a father of six, has had his sentences reduced but will still spend the next twenty-six years, eleven months, and fourteen days behind bars for his horrific crimes. Convicted of raping a minor on three separate occasions, along with aggravated and sexual assault, Usher learned his fate this morning before Justice Candace Nanton. The thirty-four-year-old, who switched attorneys after his conviction, found out just how long he’ll be serving. The victim’s nightmare began when she was only eight years old and continued until she was seventeen. Usher first molested her at eight and raped her three times when she turned thirteen. The abuse, which started in September 2010, only stopped when she moved away, and authorities were finally notified. Throughout his trial, Usher maintained his innocence, denying all allegations. Attorney Norman Rodriguez shared a few comments following the sentencing.
Norman Rodriguez
Norman Rodriguez, Attorney at Law
“ It was actually two counts involving aggravated assault and sexual assault, and three counts of rape for a maximum sentence, overall sentence, of twenty-six years, eleven months and fourteen days. That would mean that they subtracted the eight days he had spent on remand and there was a deduction of a year from the or for the mitigating testimonies of the witnesses. I came on to this matter for the sentence and the mitigation and sentencing. So I can only tell you that his trial started sometime in November and concluded in November when he was found guilty and remanded to the prison for his sentencing.”
Tonight, twenty-six-year-old Clifton Percival Robinson is on remand at the Belize Central Prison, awaiting sentencing. Justice Nigel Pilgrim accepted Robinson’s guilty plea for the lesser charge of wounding, revoked his bail, and remanded him to prison until his sentencing on February fourth, 2025. Robinson’s co-accused, Angel Matura, who was charged with him for attempted murder back in 2022, walked free after the charge was dropped due to Robinson’s guilty plea. The charges stemmed from a shooting incident in March 2022 at Matura’s yard, where Albert Reid was injured by a sawed-off shotgun, suffering wounds to his inner thigh and foot. Today, Robinson, following his attorney Norman Rodriguez’s advice, entered a plea bargain and took responsibility for his actions. However, he was taken aback when his bail was revoked. Rodriguez argued that Robinson, who had been on bail for over a year and consistently attended his court hearings, was not a flight risk. But Justice Pilgrim saw it differently, stating that in the interest of public safety, bail is revoked when someone admits to a violent offense, especially involving a firearm. On January twentieth, 2025, Robinson expressed his desire to enter a plea bargain with the crown, which was represented today by Crown Counsel Glenfield Dennison.
Norman Rodriguez
Norman Rodriguez, Attorney at Law
“The allegation is that he shot someone or fired shots at someone and that person was injured in the lower part of his body and the result of that, the police did its investigation and charged him. Clifton Robinson was not really my client. I accepted his case as a friend of the court. So I was there for that part of the plea bargaining process, just as an attorney sitting in. And now I am assisting him with his mitigation and sentencing. I actually represented the other court charged Angel Matura, but Clifton Robinson opted to plead guilty to the lesser charge of wounding and different judges have different approach, but the judge will always justify by quoting the law and this judge was on point when he declared that he had the discretion to revoke his bail, which he did and remand him until sentencing. The court that did indicate that the act of revoking his bail is not an indication of how the court will sentence him.”
On Sunday, a Canadian national found himself in hot water after allegedly trying to paddle a stolen boat into Belize. The arrest came after a dramatic water chase through Chetumal Bay, following reports that the man had swiped a local fisherman’s boat from a wharf. Authorities quickly sprang into action, chasing the suspect across open water. A video from the scene shows navy personnel pulling the man out of the water after he jumped in, trying to escape. He was handed over to local police and taken to a jail in Chetumal. The suspect’s identity and his reasons for attempting to enter Belize remain a mystery for now.
When it comes to tackling money laundering and terrorist financing risks, Belize is leading the pack globally. At least, that’s what the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force’s first-round evaluation shows. Belize’s performance, assessed over a five-year period ending in late 2023, is outstanding. The results of the Fourth Round Mutual Evaluation Report are fantastic news for Belize’s financial sector and correspondent banking relations. The government can finally breathe a sigh of relief, as unlike the Third Mutual Report, Belize won’t be grey-listed this time. This afternoon, the National Anti-Money Laundering Council held a press conference to celebrate this significant achievement.
Christopher Coye
Christopher Coye, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance
“This has been a long road for us. The National Anti-Money Laundering Committee and each participating agency and individual involved have worked tirelessly over the last few years to ensure we strengthen our framework as much as possible even while managing their demanding portfolio. We are deeply grateful for all involved. They were instrumental in enabling Belize to receive the gold standard status that less than fifteen percent of the countries in the world has achieved, having entered the CFATF regular follow up process, avoiding the grey or black list and leading in global anti-money laundering efforts sends a strong message to our international counterparts and business community about the countries commitment to accountability, transparency and regulatory compliance.”
Leni Ysaguirre McGann
Leni Ysaguirre McGann, Director, F.I.U Belize
“Looking at technical compliance we can see that Belize which was assessed against forty recommendations were rated compliant in thirty-eight of those recommendations and largely compliant in two. On a first attempt Belize is essentially best in the world, having surpasses Qatar which would have thirty-two compliant and eight largely compliant after its first assessment.”
Even though Belize scored nearly perfect for technical compliance, only five out of eleven immediate outcomes were rated as substantially effective. The area that received the lowest ranking was the investigation and prosecution of money laundering activities.
Leni Ysaguirre- McGann, Director, F.I.U Belize
“This was the immediate outcome for which Belize was rated a low level of effectiveness.”
Paul Lopez
“How worrisome of an assessment is this to NAMLAC? It does not speak well about what should perhaps be one of the most important aspects of your mandate.”
Leni Ysaguirre- McGann
“Just to put things into context, in looking at how we performed in the immediate outcomes we did an analysis globally of how other countries perform in the immediate outcome. So, we can see that in immediate outcome seven generally which looks at how money laundering is invested and prosecuted is one of the areas that countries have challenges with. So, globally we have about ninety-two percent of countries receiving either low or moderate levels of effectiveness in this area. So, I don’t necessarily think that this shines badly on Belize, because we have fared this way. I think it does recognize that this is a challenge globally for countries. So, this is one of the areas that in terms of moving forward in the fifth round assessment the FATF is looking at how it can strengthen their requirements in countries and what needs to be changed within the framework to address this. So this is an acknowledgement globally that countries need to improve their performance here.”
Paul Lopez
“Can the head table then say how many investigations were launched, concluded and how many is still ongoing and if that data was reviewed as a part of the assessment period? Is there a figure that can be provided?”
Leni Ysaguirre- McGann
“So, I can’t tell you off the top of my head what these figures are, but they are thoroughly enumerated in the report, because all of that information would have had to be presented. The report looks at the number of money laundering report, so it does focus on that. You would see I think maybe about twenty-two different investigations, but it does factor investigations into financial crimes, fraud, theft and obtaining property by deception, so that number is even greater.”
We also wanted to find out which sector in Belize is most at risk for money laundering. According to Leni Ysaguirre McGann, the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit, the assessment pinpointed several sectors with higher vulnerabilities. Topping the list of non-financial sectors are car dealerships and real estate businesses.
Paul Lopez
“In general, what sector poses the greatest risk for money laundering, specifically, in Belize?”
Leni Ysaguirre McGann, Director, F.I.U. Belize
“That is covered in our national risk assessment report and again, I believe when we look at the overall risk in terms of sectors we had identified. Well, I should say when we look at sectors we look at how vulnerable they are and that compared to what threats they might be faced with. So, when we look at the vulnerability of security, we look at the security sector, nonfinancial business sector, so these were areas that may be a bit more vulnerable, and this was identified because these sectors are sectors that would have come on stream in terms of being regulated and supervised later than some of our more mature sectors. So those would have accounted for some of the vulnerability factors. So, there are a group of them that have been identified as having more vulnerabilities than others yes.”
Paul Lopez
“But, no specific one can identified as the top of the list?”
Leni Ysaguirre McGann
“There are several that have high levels of vulnerability, and I can zone in on the none financial ones. To name them, it would be vehicle dealers, real estate, those sorts of sectors yes.”
On Saturday night, the Belize Police Department honored eighty exceptional officers who have gone above and beyond in their duties at the first-ever Police Awards. The event, held at the Belmopan Civic Center, brought together law enforcement officers from across the country. It was a night to boost the morale of the dedicated men and women who work tirelessly to protect and serve our communities.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“And so for us to have been able to bring together, I think, over eighty police officers from across the country and award them for exemplary work done over the year, I think it was a good thing for us to do and it is going to motivate and encourage other officers to do well. At the end of the day, you must not wait for a man to die to tell them that they are good. We must tell them that they are good. We must tell them while they are alive and those officers who were recipients of awards over the weekend were extremely happy. And while we only awarded about eighty police officers, the truth be told, there are many other officers who would have been worthy of being awarded, but we can only award so much. We awarded officers like those who, when we had the fire in San Pedro, the house was on fire and these two officers went into the burning building and saved the lives of, I think, about three children who could have been burnt in the building that was on fire.”
