Tonight, three Belize City men were provided full disclosure for a 2023 murder. Today, two of the three men told the court that they had been sexually harassed while in prison. To make matters worse, they say they have not been afforded legal representation. The sitting magistrate told the men that she would further address the matter on their next court date, May third, if the situation has not improved. One of the men who says he has been sexually violated sought legal advice from Attorney Richard “Dickie” Bradley in court today. Here’s what he had to say.
Richard “Dickie” Bradley, Attorney
“What he has said to me is a frightening and disturbing matter, and I will take it up directly with the chief executive officer of the prison department, and then thereafter, I will be able to give you more details, but this is a very, very serious matter, and we can’t allow that kind of thing to be happening. Three persons appeared in the magistrate court today. For which the others are nodding in support of the complaint. That person has asked in court if he could be removed from where he is in the prison because he’s been sexually assaulted. It’s a very serious matter.”
Prison C.E.O. Virgilio Murillo told News Five that he is not aware of the allegations.
In an interview with PLUS TV in Belmopan on Thursday, Prime Minister John Briceño said, “What has happened, as we all know, the Jamaican national has made an accusation, and the police have reviewed the tape, and they believe that they have enough information or evidence to be able to do a full-fledged investigation.”
As News Five reported, a Jamaican national lodged an allegation against an immigration officer at the Philip Goldson International Airport. The Jamaican national is accusing the immigration officer of stealing several thousand U.S. dollars from them.
Chief Executive Officer Tanya Santos of the Ministry of Immigration said that, despite earlier social media reports, only one officer has been apprehended for interrogation.
In the interview, PM Briceño, who is also the Minister of Immigration, said, “I’m told that the Jamaican was, and I can’t go into too many details, but basically passed over monies, and then when he tried to leave the country, he was told he can’t leave the country, and so then he got upset and made this report.”
Briceño stressed that this sort of behaviour cannot be countenanced and that “it needs to end now, and we need to find a way to get rid of all of those people that behave in such a manner.”
An immigration officer was taken into police custody earlier today, following an allegation made against him by a Jamaican national at the Philip Goldson International Airport. It is alleged that the unnamed officer may have been involved in the theft of several thousand U.S. dollars from the traveler this morning. This afternoon, News Five contacted Chief Executive Officer Tanya Santos, of the Ministry of Immigration, who confirmed that contrary to a report that was published on social media earlier, only one officer has been detained for questioning.
In his contributions to the budget debate, Kareem Musa, the Minister of Home Affairs, reflected on last week’s spate of murders across the country. In the same vein, he noted that the number of murders per year has significantly decreased under the People’s United Party. Crime is one of the issues that the Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow, used to criticize the Briceño administration during his budget presentation. Well, Minister Musa says Barrow cannot dance behind the statistics.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“I once again take the opportunity to share my thoughts, prayers and condolences with those who lost their loved ones last week. And while yes last week was an extremely painful one for Belizeans, the leader of the opposition, try as he may simply cannot escape the numbers. The raw black and white statistics dictates that crime is exponentially worst when the United Democratic Party is in power. When they left office in 2020 the average number of murders was around one hundred and thirty per year. As of December thirty first 2023, the number of murders in Belize decreased to eighty seven compared to one hundred and thirteen in 2022. We have moved from the sixth most dangerous country in Latin America in 2020 under the UDP, down to eleven in 2022 and in 2023 I am pleased to report we have gone further down that list to fourteen. So try as he may but the leader cannot dance behind the statistics as he said yesterday.”
A forgetful Lance Corporal of the B.D.F. is spending a year behind bars for misplacing a high-powered weapon near the Xunantunich Maya temple. The officer was on duty at the Xunantunich Observation Post in Cayo last October and left his post to go to a friend’s house and when he returned, could not determine where he had left the M4 Commando rifle. The soldier was taken before an internal court of inquiry and was found to be culpable. He was sentenced to one year imprisonment at Price Barracks.
Brig. Gen. Azariel Loria, Commander, B.D.F
“The person that left the weapon behind, he was sentenced to one yearimprisonment.”
Marion Ali
“So he’s serving his one year?”
Brigadier General Azariel Loria
“He’s serving his one year.”
Marion Ali
“He’s Belize Central Prison?”
Brigadier General Azariel Loria
“That is where we are trying to get a warrant for him to do so at Kolby.”
Accused murderer Jamie Young remains on the lam, several days after he shot and killed Damion Baptist during a vehicular pursuit over the weekend. As we’ve reported, Baptist and his new girlfriend were followed by an enraged Young as they drove from Maxboro en route to Baptist’s home in Ladyville. When they noticed that they were being tailed, Baptist and Amber Dawson attempted to drive to the Ladyville Police Station, but the couple did not make it. The vehicle that they were driving collided into a lamppost and that’s when Young exited his pickup truck and opened fire into the driver’s side window of Baptist’s car, killing him at the scene. According to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, he was informed that Young would have turned himself in earlier this week.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I was told that he was to surrender himself to the police on Monday. We have been waiting and that has not occurred. We are still in search of him, the wanted posters are out and we are urging the public if anyone has any information that may be able to lead to his detention, please feel free to call 911, or the 922 number, and we would be most grateful if we can get him in custody so that he can face charges for what he has done over the weekend.”
Reporter
“Do you believe that he is being facilitated by [others]?”
Chester Williams
“Certainly, when we have people on the run they must have people who are aiding them in some way or the other. So yes, we do anticipate that he is being facilitated, but who, we cannot say at this time.”
Jamie Young is still on the run after Saturday’s murder of thirty-year-old Damion Baptist in Ladyville, a deadly attack that has been blamed on jealousy. Young is wanted for questioning by police in connection with the incident, that unfolded in Maxboro where Baptist and his new girlfriend, Amber Dawson, were traveling enroute to his house in Burrell Boom. They never got there because after the couple stopped at Dawson’s grandmother who lives near her ex-boyfriend, they became his target. The couple was pursued all the way to Ladyville where Young allegedly shot and killed Baptist, who was trying to escape the attack in heavy traffic. According to his mother, Shelmadine Baptist, his siblings and three children are taking the loss very hard. She said he had planned to purchase a bus this year and would have applied for a bus run to Belize City. Meanwhile, Amber Dawson says that since the incident happened, it’s all that she can think of, and she has wanted to go to work to distract her mind. She can’t, however, because her estranged ex-boyfriend is still at large.
Voice of: Amber Young
Voice of: Amber Young, Girlfriend of Damion Baptist
“I wanted to go to work this morning, but I can’t keep staying in the house cause all I think about is what happened, and that’s not good. So, I want to be busy. It’s just – it’s not good. I’m stuck here. It’s hard. Deep inside, it’s just – I wish I could just get Baptist back.”
Voice of: Shelmadine Baptist
Voice of: Shelmadine Baptist, Mother of Damion Baptist
“My son deh very strong, but because da one ah dehn, dehn easily fall apart. They easily fall apart. Deh hurt. I know my son dehn really, hurt. I can’t explain the hurt weh dehn feel. So I said to my friend, I said, Jaimie nuh know what he did to my family. He just chance my son outta his life, take my son from his two daughters. He take my son from his two daughters. My son nuh get a break with his two daughters. He just chance my son outta his life, innocently.”
Shelmadine Baptist shared with the media that her son was an ex-B.D.F. soldier who wanted to be his own boss, so he left military life. His plan was to purchase a bus and to work on his own. But most of all, she said, Damion Baptist wanted to be with his children.
Voice of: Shelmadine Baptist
Voice of: Shelmadine Baptist, Mother of Deceased
“He was in the military. He left, I think like a year completely – a year and change. Yes, he left. He never did sign up back cause yoh know yoh have to sign up every so often, so he never did sign back because he wanted to have his own job. He said – the job, he wanted something different. The last time he talked to me and he said, Mommy, me and Robby wa buy wa bus. Dehn mi want buy the bus, but he mostly focus on the kids because he usually get them on holiday, so he was planning to get the kids for Easter, but I guess God had different plans, noh?”
On Monday, we reported on the unfortunate passing of twenty-six-year-old Liston Williams. The father of two was killed on March sixteenth, while he was just moments away from his home on Madam Liz Avenue. In an interview, police revealed that the murder was committed by an associate of Williams and that a suspect was in police custody. Today, we spoke with Williams’ family, who said that they hope no more violence will come out of the situation.
On the phone: Fade Williams
On the phone: Fade Williams, Sister of Victim
“So, yeah, we tek it hard, but we have to accept it for what it is. We have to accept it for what it is, and just move on and we just want to bury we brother inna peace. And whatever happens, when he dead, we just want that stay weh dat deh and we wah left everything to God.”
Britney Gordon
“Have you been in contact with the police or anything?”
Fade Williams
“No really get in contact with no police or nothing. We just wah whateva happen stay deh. We noh get nothing from the police, so we no know nothing about it. We noh know nothing much about it. All we know ney kill, ney shoot ah and that da mi it. Weh have, all weh we have da ih kids ney in memory.”
A murder happened in broad daylight in Ladyville on Saturday evening. It happened in the thick of traffic, as the occupants of one vehicle tried to escape the wrath of the driver in another vehicle. But they didn’t escape and when the pursuer caught up with his target, he acted with deadly precision, shooting one of the occupants before fleeing the scene on foot. Amber Dawson told reporters that she and her boyfriend, Damion Baptist were trying to escape her ex-boyfriend, Jamie Young, who is now wanted for murder. News Five’s Marion Ali visited Grace Bank to speak with Dawson, and to Burrell Boom Village, to speak with the mother of the victim. Here’s that report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
It unfolded quickly, sometime around five, on Saturday evening on the Philip Goldson Highway, where the driver of this red Honda Fusion tried to manoeuvre his way through heavy traffic while fleeing a gun-wielding attacker. But he could not make it through, and the gunman caught up with him and shot him through the passenger side of the car, causing him to swerve off the road and slam into this lamppost in front of the Ladyville R.C. School. Behind the steering wheel of the vehicle was thirty-year-old Damion Baptist, who was heading from Maxboro to his house in Burrell Boom. But when he came under attack, he decided to drive past the Burrell Boom cut-off and attempted to make a dash for the Ladyville Police Station a few miles away. But even the police were out of his reach.
“On Saturday, 16th day of March 2023, around 5:30 p.m., police responded to a shooting incident in Ladyville Village in front of the Ladyville R.C. School. Upon their arrival, police found a car with what appeared to be bullet holes. Information received [was] that a person received gunshot injuries and was taken to the KHMH for treatment.”
Baptist’s relatives say he died en route to the hospital. He had been shot in the head. Amber Dawson, who saw everything unfold from the passenger seat, told reporters that Baptist spent the day in Grace Bank Village where she lives, and that it was her ex-boyfriend who killed him.
Voice of: Amber Dawson
Voice of: Amber Dawson, Girlfriend of Deceased
“We spent the day here. It was my nephew birthday. Everything was going well. We left. We passed Mr. Young house. We stopped at my grandmother, spent five minutes. We never spent long at my grandmother, and we went. We were going to his house in Boom and after we passed Maxboro Junction, on that long stretch, it all became so crazy, hectic. Mr. Young was driving in the opposite direction towards us. He was at his home when we passed him, so he had to leave when I stopped at my grandmother’s house. [He] run us off the road, crank his gun at us, push his gun through the window, crank it, Mr. Baptist speed up. He was like, “we need to reach the police station.”
Dawson said that on three occasions that evening, Young tried to harm them on the highway.
Voice of: Amber Dawson
“When we passed the curb after Maxboro, he was coming in the opposite direction. He was literally driving into us. Mr. Baptist was driving, so he pulled on the side of the road and that’s when he cranked his gun at us and Mr. Baptist sped off. After that, it was around by Tubal we were stuck – traffic was there, so we pulled on the side again. And that’s when the first gunshot went off. Everything happened on the passenger side. So when we pull on the side, the first shot went off. It went at the bottom of the car window. That’s when Mr. Baptist told me to drop my seat and stay low. And then he kept on driving on the side of the road because traffic was hectic in Ladyville that day. And when we reached again by the RC school, the next bullet went off and the next thing I know we were driving into the lamppost. That’s when I looked over and I saw Mr. Baptist’s head down.”
Amber Dawson says that she had dated Jamie Young for thirteen years but broke up with him late last year. It was around the same time that she and Baptist became friends, she said, but they did not start to date until last month. And that was when they came under sustained attacks, to the point, that she had to take out a restraining order against Young.
Voice of: Amber Dawson
“Everywhere I go, that young man follows. Everywhere I go, he follows. Every time I pass his house, I bet I look in my mirror, he will be behind, good five, ten minutes afterwards.”
Marion Ali
“Why do you believe this was the case?”
Voice of: Amber Dawson
“We were in a relationship, we broke up and he couldn’t take it believe. He keeps coming around, following us, following me. Mr. Baptist was just with me that day. Our court deal would have been on Wednesday of this week.”
Baptist left the B.D.F. and was planning to buy a bus and apply for a route later this year. His mother, Shelmadine Baptist says his murder will be hard on his siblings and for his three children. She had just spoken with him moments before he was killed.
Voice of: Shelmadine Baptist
Voice of: Shelmadine Baptist, Mother of Deceased
“He called and he said he di come home. Ih say “Mommy ah deh pahn mi way home.” And I [say] “Bwai, how far yoh deh?” He say, “I deh right by Maxboro, Mommy.” He say ih wa reach directly. I say “okay.” I hang up the phone and then he never call – never come. So I never did call back. I guess da right deh the incident happened because he tell me he mi deh da Maxboro. And then the young lady weh he mi deh with, she tell me that the young man start attack dehn from Maxboro.”
A.C.P Hilberto Romero who briefed the media on this matter, said that the police are now looking for Jamie Young for questioning in connection with this murder. Marion Ali for News Five.
