Crime - Channel 5 Belize

Chester and “Uncle” Make Amend, Cyberbullying Charges Dropped

The public feud between ComPol Williams and his brother, Arthur Roy Williams, also known as ‘Uncle,’ is now water under the bridge as the brothers made amends earlier today. As a result, the charges against Arthur were dropped by prosecutor Alifah Elrington this afternoon in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court. Both brothers were present in court when Elrington, the Head of Prosecution Branch, informed the Senior Magistrate that the crown is withdrawing all four counts against Arthur Roy Williams. This decision came after the siblings reconciled and agreed to move forward. ‘I love my brother,’ said ComPol Williams. ‘Uncle’ promised the outgoing Commissioner of Police that he would no longer post anything negative or defamatory about him, leading to the charges being withdrawn.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“Basically, Arthur Roy is my brother, we came from the same woman. Yes, there have been misunderstandings in the past with issue, but I believe that as a family we should always be able to work out our issues. And so, him and I spoke about the issue and we decided that it is best that we end it this way, as opposed to going through a court process.”

Reporter

“This is what they refer to as criminal mediation?”

Chester Williams

“No. No. There was no mediation done by the court. Myself and my brother, we discussed the issue and we came to our own agreement that it is best that we put it behind us and move on. Of course, I love my brother and I will always be there to support him. He has been there for me as a child when I was growing up. We have been very close in the past and I think that we can get back to where we used to be.”

Reporter

“So, Mr. Roy, what would you like to say today?”

Arthur Roy Williams

“It is what it is bang bye.”

Back on February 7, 2024, Arthur Roy Williams, a fifty-three-year-old driver for the Ombudsman and a resident of Dangriga, was initially arraigned on three criminal offenses, including two counts of using a computer system to disseminate false statements with the intent to cause public ridicule or embarrassment, and one count of using a computer system to intimidate under the Cybercrime Act, to which he pleaded not guilty. Then, about five months later, on July 3, 2024, ‘Uncle’ faced another charge of contempt of judicial order. Allegedly, between April and the end of June 2024, despite being ordered not to post anything about ComPol or the Belize Police Department, he continued to do so on social media.

New DNA Legislation to Plug Loopholes in Justice System

A new proposed DNA law aims to make cases involving scientific evidence clearer by setting rules for collecting, filing, and using DNA evidence to prosecute suspects. Today, a draft of this legislation was shown to key groups. This draft would let the court decide when a suspect must provide DNA samples for testing in criminal cases. The United Nations Development Program, which held consultations earlier this year, created the draft bill and hosted today’s meeting with forensic experts, prosecutors, police, and the Ministry of Health. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Today, key groups from the justice system met to review a proposed draft law focused on DNA evidence. According to UNDP Representative Amilin Mendez, the goal of the bill is to improve how DNA evidence is collected, filed, and used.

Amilin Mendez, Representative, U.N.D.P.

“With D.N.A legislation in place, it embodies the National Forensic Science Services to be able to create a D.N.A database. What does that mean then for you? If you have a matter on hand, if you’re the victim, you’ll be able to get justice in a more timely manner. If you’re a suspected person of a crime and your D.N.A does not match, you would not have to be on remand because it’s clear that you’re not guilty of any of these crimes.”

The UNDP has been a long-time partner of the National Forensic Science Services. In 2024, the U.N. agency helped upgrade the lab’s information management system, making the evidence process digital. Executive Director Gian Cho explained how the system will work according to international standards once the law is passed by the end of this year.

Gian Cho, Executive Director, Belize National Forensic Science Service

“When you collect people’s genetic data, when you store it, when you search it, we need to make sure that we have regulations or laws in place that governs how that’s used. So how a national D.N.A. database is established, how D.N.A. samples are collected from individuals suspected of committing offenses in a manner that respects their bodily integrity, their privacy, their dignity, how searches of that database is conducted, who has access to the database, what we do with any matches that come from the database, who are authorized to enter profiles into a database, how profiles are generated – all of these requirements to ensure that the safeguard of human genetic data, the standards of searching and how we determine a match are in line with the international requirements and what we know other countries have in their legislation as well as oversight for such a database.”

Cho explained that even though the system will be in place, for investigators to get certain DNA samples from suspects, a judge would have to decide whether the sample will be given by force. Cho emphasized that it’s crucial to ensure people’s constitutional rights are respected throughout the process.

Gian Cho

“The process or the procedure to obtain a D.N.A. sample from an individual, when consent is not given by the individual, what would be the processes that the authorities follow would be to obtain a court order. Once certain thresholds are met, the investigator – a senior rank inspector or above would have to issue or make the request to a magistrate to issue a court order to collect a D.N.A. sample the person does not give consent.”

Ultra-sensitive issues, such as how minors are treated, whether they are the victim or the perpetrator, are also covered in the legislation.

Gian Cho

“When minors are victims or when minors are suspects or when appearance of minors might be involved we have to look at court orders given individual. And the bill speaks all of those different circumstances when a court order would be needed, or what would be considered reasonable cause to obtain a court order, what would be instances where reasonable force can be used to obtain the D.N.A. sample and in most instances, it would be a cheek swab that is obtained.”

It’s still unclear if this new legislation will boost conviction rates. The reform of the justice system through this bill is just one part of a larger project called pH Justice, supported by the UNDP and funded by the European Union, with a budget of over three million dollars. This project also included digitizing the Magistrates’ and High Courts. Once the relevant parties agree on the draft bill’s contents, it will be presented to Cabinet for approval before going to the National Assembly. Marion Ali for News Five.

Luis Marin Gunned Down in Majestic Alley Home

Today, a family is heartbroken after twenty-four-year-old Luis Marin was tragically shot and killed in his home in Majestic Alley. According to the police, around ten p.m., Marin was hanging out with a family member in his apartment when a man approached and opened fire, fatally wounding Marin. The police arrived at the scene around a few minutes later and found Marin’s lifeless body. He was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, but sadly, he was pronounced dead on arrival. There are whispers that this murder might be connected to the weekend shooting of Jamal Hyde in Belmopan, which has already led to several arrests. However, the police have yet to confirm the speculation.

Government Employee Charged for Stealing 43 Chromebooks

A government employee is in hot water, accused of stealing forty-three Chromebooks from the Government Bookstore on Saint Joseph Street back in February. A police investigation led to the discovery of nine of the devices all the way in Orange Walk. This morning, Ezbert Felix Ramclam Junior, also known as ‘Suga,’ a warehouse manager for the G.O.B., was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on Coney Drive on a single charge of theft. The allegations state that between February eighteenth and February twenty-eighth, 2025, in Belize City, Ramclam dishonestly appropriated forty-three laptops valued at thirty-three thousand, eight hundred and sixty-two dollars, belonging to the Government of Belize. Represented by attorney Ronnell Gonzalez, Ramclam Junior pleaded not guilty to the charge. With no objection to bail, the magistrate granted it at three thousand dollars, plus one surety of the same amount, or two sureties of one thousand, five hundred dollars each, which he met. Ramclam Junior is due back in court on June fourth, 2025. On Saturday, March twenty-ninth, 2025, Ingrid Acosta, a project coordinator at the Project Execution Unit in the Ministry of Education in Belmopan, reported to the Crimes Investigation Branch that unauthorized persons had removed forty-three Chromebooks from a storage facility at the Government Bookstore compound in Belize City between February nineteenth and February twenty-eighth, 2025. The C.I.B. investigated and on Wednesday, April second, police recovered three of the devices in San Lorenzo Housing Site in Orange Walk Town. Further investigation led to the discovery of five more Lenovo Chromebooks, confirmed to have been stolen from the Government Bookstore’s warehouse. The laptops were taken to Belize City and handed over to the police. As part of the investigation, police recorded several statements from individuals in Belize City and Orange Walk. One report from a fifty-nine-year-old entrepreneur in Orange Walk stated that a man known as ‘Suga,’ who works at the Government Bookstore, sold him nine Chromebooks in February 2025. Consequently, Ramclam was detained on Monday, April seventh, 2025, and charged with theft on Tuesday, April eighth, 2025.

Twenty Years, Five Months for Sex Offender

This morning in the High Court, Justice Nigel Pilgrim sentenced Jeffery Pott, a resident of Corozalito Village, to twenty years and five months in prison after convicting him of three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Pott, who previously lived in Belize City, was found guilty of having sex with a thirteen-year-old girl twice in 2021 and 2022, and again when she was fourteen. Justice Pilgrim explained that he considered both aggravating and mitigating factors in determining the sentence. He referenced Section 47-1-29 of the criminal code, which states that anyone who has sex with someone under sixteen, with or without consent, commits an offense punishable by a minimum of twelve years, up to life imprisonment. For those who have sex with someone between fourteen and sixteen, the punishment ranges from five to ten years. Additionally, Justice Pilgrim took into account the new sentencing guidelines of the Senior Courts of Belize, effective January 2025.

Police Officer Charged for Cyberbullying ComPol Williams

Earlier today, a police officer was arraigned in Belize City Magistrate’s Court for allegedly bullying Commissioner of Police Chester Williams. While ComPol Williams got a one-month extension before leaving the Belize Police Department, his colleagues charged one of their own for allegedly bullying him on Facebook. The officer, fifty-one-year-old Barrington Gilbert Mai, also known as Barry Flowers, lives in Carmelita Village, Orange Walk District. This morning, Mai was brought to court in a police van but was snuck in through the back to avoid the cameras. By 10 a.m., he appeared before a Senior Magistrate, unrepresented, and was charged with using a computer system to publish obscene and vulgar data. The allegations state that on April 2^nd, 2025, he posted obscene and vulgar content about the Commissioner of Police. Mai pleaded not guilty. While there was no objection to bail, the prosecutor requested conditions. The Senior Magistrate set bail at five thousand dollars, with one surety of the same amount or two sureties of two thousand, five hundred dollars each, which Mai met. His next court date is June 4^th, 2025. Conditions of his bail include not interfering with the virtual complainant or any of his family members or prosecution witnesses and maintaining a twenty-five-foot distance from ComPol Williams and his family. Failure to comply could result in his bail being revoked.

Was the Police’s Gang Mediation a Failure?

Tensions between gangs in Belize City have been escalating, and the Belize Police Department is taking strategic steps to reduce the violence. Last month, Joseph Garcia was killed by gunmen while in a vehicle with Ronlee Petillo and Shamar Faber, who police believe were the intended targets. In February, the police tried to mediate between the rival gangs, but some reports suggest this attempt was unsuccessful. Here’s what Commissioner of Police Chester Williams had to say about the situation.

Reporter

“There is the failed mediation that you hosted where you heard a direct threat made to Ronlee and to Ms. Grant as well, from the same person he has implicated. Where do you start to pick up the pieces?”

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“You come with this nonsense again?”

Reporter

“The mediation failed. Sir. There’s been so much bad that has happened since then.”

Chester Williams

“Stop. Stop bing nonsense to me. Please. Any other questions?”

Reporter

“Did you not hear a direct threat to Ronlee Petillo in the mediation?”

Chester Williams

“We have spoken about. We have spoken about this at a previous interview.”

Reporter

“Because it fails sir.”

Chester Williams

“But you have a mindset that I can tell your world is so unique. You have a unique world, all kind of thing happen in that world. I don’t know,”

Reporter

“Sir, direct threats were made and things happened that fulfilled those threats out of the mediation. That’s a failed mediation.”

Chester Williams

“That is, that is your version and I’ve explained to you what was our version.”

Santiago Garcia was Murdered, not Stabbed in Self Defense

Thirty-one-year-old Kenroy Kelvin Smith has been arrested and charged with the murder of 20-year-old Santiago Garcia. Smith is accused of fatally stabbing Garcia on Sunday night in Pomona Village, Toledo. On Monday, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero explained, ‘Santiago Garcia and Jason Sharp went to Smith’s residence to buy cannabis. An altercation broke out, leading to a fight. Smith then pulled out a knife and inflicted injuries on both men.’ Garcia’s sister, Melissa Lemus, revealed that Smith had been threatening her brother for about a year. ‘We know it was a threat from years ago… he was telling other people that he would do something to my brother,’ she said. Both Sharp and Garcia were taken to the hospital with stab wounds. While Sharp received treatment, Garcia was sadly pronounced dead.

Mellissa Lemus, Sister of Deceased

“We believe that what happened, we just want justice because he was a kind person. If you would maybe ask friends out there, coworkers, ageable people, they will tell you he was respectful. He was honest and he was very, very kind to people. I don’t understand why they would have done that to him. It just hurts us because my grandfather has already passed March twelfth, and we received bad news end of month, nearly end of month. It was March thirtieth which was my birthday. It was a very big shock, like I told you.”

Coby Ledlon’s Family Say He Was Not a Troublemaker

Twenty-year-old Coby Ledlon was shot and killed on Iguana Street Extension on Monday morning. His family was shocked by his murder, as they never knew him to be a troublemaker. His stepmother, Kenisha Holland, told News Five that she last saw him on Saturday. The family had already planned a candlelight vigil for him before he died, and they decided to go ahead with the event on Tuesday night to honor his memory.

Kenisha Holland, Stepmother of Deceased

“The last time I talked to Coby was Saturday when deh mi di have a barbecue sale fi ih cousin, Shajida. I give ah twenty-five dollars and he tell me “Stepmother, I wa see you later,” and I mi work late that night, so I mi tired and I never actually get fi see ah. Coby da wa very nice person, anybody weh know Coby know Coby willing fi do anything – willing fi help out anybody, willing fi run a mile and come back and give you that. Anybody know Coby know Coby da wa respectable person.”

Marion Ali

“You guys still went ahead and had the vigil for him, even though he had passed by then.”

Kenisha Holland

“Yes, we did because. Coby da wa respectable person. Everybody know Coby da,wa kind person. So we just honor her and do that in memory ah he.”

ComPol says Shooting Victims Uncooperative in Garcia Murder Case

It’s been almost a month since Joseph Garcia was shot while driving on the Philip Goldson Highway and later crashed into the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital while trying to get medical help. Garcia was one of three men in the car during the attack; passengers Ronlee Petillo and Shamar Faber were also shot. Recently, there have been reports that Petillo, who was paralyzed from his injuries, was being investigated by police for allegedly planning to retaliate against the shooters. We asked Commissioner of Police Chester Williams about these reports and why no arrests have been made in the case. Here’s what he had to say.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“You would know that you could be in Timbuktu and commit a crime in Belize, right? I am not aware of the incident where the police had gone to his home, but I’m certain that if the police went there, it’s because they had some credible information that they need to go and check. It does not mean that because he’s paralyzed means that he’s unable to commit a crime. The police, once they receive information, they’re going to act, and I would just hope that if, for when that time come, that they’re going to cooperate with the investigators. If there’s nothing to indicate that they were involved, then the police will is going to leave them alone. But you would know that once police get information, especially in relation to gang activity, we cannot take it lightly. Because if you ignore it, then it blows up in your face. People will say oh you had received this information and you did nothing about it. We must always be proactive in terms of what we do in order to safeguard the lives of people. The issue with that is the fact that they’re not cooperating. I am sure that they know who were in that vehicle, but they’re not saying to the police. And, we believe that the reason they’re not saying so is because they have intent to intention of retaliating. Maybe not Joseph Garcia family because they’re not known to be gang members per se. but certainly knowing how the street operates, once they refuse to give statements because they intend to take their own action.”

Reporter

“I spoke to Ronlee Petillo and he told me that he told you. Who was in that vehicle that he knows was in that vehicle, but that you are protecting certain players from a certain gun for reasons unknown to him.”

Chester Williams

“I don’t think you would, you would buy that, saying to me, who was in the vehicle, and indeed, yes, he did pull me and I said to him, you cannot tell me you have to gimme a statement. And he said to me, sir, well boss, you know how the street work. I can’t give you a statement. I can’t force it. I wish he would give a statement. So that we can deal with the person or persons who are not vehicle, but if he refuse to, then I cannot force it.”