Cpl. Kent Martinez Walks from Allyson Major Manslaughter Case

Allyson Major

Thirty-six-year-old Allyson Major was shot and killed while being pursued by Belize City police in July 2019. The incident happened in the downtown area where officers on mobile patrol gave chase when they reportedly observed Major tossing a bag out of his vehicle in the vicinity of Southern Foreshore. The hot pursuit led them down Regent Street where multiple shots were fired at the fleeing vehicle. In the process, Major was mortally wounded and perished near the foot of the Swing Bridge when the pickup truck he was driving came to rest near the Commercial Center. The incident caused a public uproar and the Belize Police Department suffered a major black eye as a result. Today, in the Supreme Court, Justice Ricardo O’Neil Sandcroft found Corporal Kent Martinez, the officer accused of killing Major, not guilty of the charge of manslaughter by negligence.  While the family was seeking closure through the judicial system, Rhonda Major told the media today that she is disappointed with the outcome and has lost all faith in the justice system.

Rhonda Major

Rhonda Major, Wife of Deceased

“Today, we were at the Supreme Court and the judge ruled that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prosecute Kent Martinez in the manslaughter by negligence because from the get-go the gun that he handed in to police, that wasn’t done in a proper way.  Ballistics report, there was nothing conclusive.  So that’s basically it.  A few other names were mentioned about who could have been the shooter.  So all of that was evidence against the prosecution.” 

Duane Moody

“I know it’s still fresh in the mind but let’s get your reaction to what has happened.”

Rhonda Major

“Well of course I feel helpless, I feel hopeless. I feel cheated. Everything that you could think about, but to be honest, I have no faith, absolutely no faith in the judicial system of Belize. So I prepared myself to expect this outcome, but yet it’s another thing to hear it coming from the judge this afternoon. So it was a little bit devastating.”