Man who confessed to killing and burning a trespasser charged for shooting at cops

On Wednesday’s newscast, we reported that police had found the body of a Teakettle resident who was shot, killed and buried. A caution statement was given by a resident of a nearby community saying he acted in self defense. Tonight, police have charged Santiago Guardado with five counts of aggravated assault of a cop because of a shootout which occurred on Sunday on his property in Roaring River area. Duane Moody revisits that story tonight.

Duane Moody, Reporting

It started last Saturday; a series of murders were recorded in the west.

Alry Rose Sardido

Filipino Alry Rose Sardido and American David Reichel were brutally killed in Roaring Creek and their bodies thrown in the river. And by Monday, two others were gunned down in what was purportedly a robbery in the neighboring village of Camalote. Within minutes of each other, Belizean Juan Carlos Olmedo and Honduran national, Oscar Leonel Benitez, were killed by a masked man who first robbed Olmedo’s family of a quantity of cash and while escaping through the bushes fired upon and killed Benitez, a thirty-six year old deaf/mute.

Oscar Leonel Benite

The fifth killing, unbeknown to authorities however, occurred a week ago last Thursday. It is the bizarre killing of forty-nine year old Pedro Ruben Andrade Luna. Luna for some thirteen years had been gathering herbs from the fields in the Roaring River area behind the village of Teakettle. And on Thursday it is believed he met his untimely death while on the job. His machete and crocus bag were recovered near to where he was killed.

Voice of: Esmeralda Luna, Daughter of Deceased [File: October 2^nd, 2013]

“He was in the mountains doing his job, getting his contribo as always and he came across this man who didn’t like it, who didn’t want no trespassers. But everyone passed through here, he didn’t do anything wrong. And he just did something wrong and we just found out this morning what happened. And we weren’t sure if it were true or if it was a rumor…but it is real.”

Reporter

“What is it that they are saying? Yes he is dead, but what is it that they are saying happened to him?”

Voice of: Esmeralda Luna

“He got shot. That man shot him—I don’t know his name yet—but I saw him just now. He shot my father and he burned him for three days until it left ashes. He is a cold blooded killer; he doesn’t have mercy on nobody and we shouldn’t have mercy on him. What he did is beyond terrible; he [my father] was a human being as well.”

The suspect, Santiago Guardado, confessed to killing a man, believed to be Andrade Luna, for trespassing his land and stealing his produce on a regular basis. Guardado claims that he acted in self-defense.

Voice of: Esmeralda Luna

“The guy said that it was four thousand dollars in stuff and there is no way that he could do that. This is just something that he wants to cover up what he did. My father used to sell them. He used to come here and get contribo; he used to come here and get chib, so this has to be a cover up for him. This has to be his excuse. We have proof from all the tour guides from the ATM caves. They used to take my father’s load and they saw what he took. He used to sell them contribo and his stuff and they used to see. So this is just a cover up.”

Police say, however, that Guardado has been very cooperative; he even took them on Wednesday to the location where the remains were buried.

ASP Sinquest Martinez, O.C. Belmopan Police Formation [File: October 2^nd, 2013]

Sinquest Martinez

“We had a missing person’s report on Sunday. Ruben Andrade was reported missing on Sunday, but he left his home from Thursday. After the report was made, I sent out a team in the area to conduct searches. We went out there on Sunday and we were fired upon on Sunday and we came back with nothing on Sunday. So we went back on Monday, Tuesday and today and yes there are remains, but it is still to be confirmed by either DNA or forensics if it is human remains. Yes, one of them we have confessed of committing the act and like I said, the matter, the file will be sent to the D.P.P. to see what charges will be laid on that individual.”

But while he is cooperative and he claims it was in self-defense, the family is asking why did Guardado burn the body of their loved one after killing him? Was it in an attempt to conceal a crime? What is known, however, is that when a search team was sent out in response to the missing person’s report by the Luna family on Sunday, there was a crossfire between several officers and a group of seven men including Guardado.

Santiago Guardado

The spike in crime is explained by the officer in charge for the western communities. Assistant Superintendent Sinquest Martinez says that the murders are not related and neither are the suspects from the same communities where the crimes are perpetrated.

ASP Sinquest Martinez

“You need to realize the murder is not in Belmopan City; it is within my area of responsibility. All murders are not connecte4d; they are different murders. The murders are for different motives. It just so happen that it happened within four days, but they are not connected none at all.  The persons that are responsible, they are from within my area. They are not either from Belize or other district that come here and commit these crimes and they are people; no strangers to us.”

Duane Moody for News Five.