On January tenth, 2020, a three-year-old boy died inside a house on Lovely Lane, here in Belize City. He was reportedly beaten to death and sexually assaulted by his stepfather. The child’s siblings, ages two and four, were also badly beaten and left inside the building. News of the horrific incident led to public outrage and a manhunt ensued for the capture of Kenrick Longsworth, the alleged perpetrator. Earlier today, the thirty-one-year-old suspect appeared before the High Court where is standing trial for the murder of Mark Francisco Teul. This evening, the child’s mother, Zema Requena, was called to the witness stand by the Director of Public Prosecutions. Under oath, she told the court that on the day in question, she left home and went with a neighbor. Upon returning home, she saw Longsworth sitting on a bucket and he appeared visibly upset. When she inquired what was wrong, he reportedly told her that the next time she leaves, she should take along her children. Requena proceeded towards the house and made the grisly discovery inside the bedroom. Under cross examination Zema Requena became very emotional when defense attorney Andrew Bennett suggested that she was the one who physically abused the children because Longsworth had broken up with her earlier that day. Requena subsequently stormed out of the courtroom before Justice Sylvester called her back. She was cautioned that her behavior was disrespectful to the court. The murder trial by judge without jury will continue on Thursday.
Category: Trials
Uncle is Sentenced to 19 Years for Sexual Assault of Minor Niece
A sixty-four-year-old uncle who was convicted of sexual assault and incest against his thirteen-year-old niece will serve a nineteen-year sentence at the Belize Central Prison. During his sentencing appearance this morning, the uncle had nothing to say and in mitigation plea, he did not call on a character witness to speak on his behalf. On March eighth, 2024, the elderly man was found guilty of all four counts following a full trial before Justice Candace Nanton in the High Court. The crimes for which he was convicted were committed in 2019 and 2020.
Selgado’s Mitigation Partially Done Because of Health Issues
The mitigation pleas for convicted attorney, Oscar Selgado started today, but his medical condition was so fragile that the proceeding was adjourned until Friday. Today, two persons spoke on Selgado’s behalf: former Chief Magistrate, Sharon Fraser, who is a diabetic like Selgado and who can attest to some of the challenges that diabetics endure. The second person, Frank Selgado, is the attorney’s brother, who shared information about their humble upbringing that his brother had to work hard to become an attorney, and that he made a mistake in life. But the matter could not proceed further because Selgado experienced a fainting spell and Justice Nigel Pilgrim, adjourned it until Friday. Before the adjournment, Selgado asked for permission to speak and told the court that the prison penalized him by putting him in solitary confinement without proper ventilation for making a phone call to the courthouse last Thursday to inquire if the documents for his temporary release for his appearance in court today were made out. He said he made the call because he heard from an employee at the prison that there were no documents for his appearance in court. Selgado, fighting back tears, apologized to the court and said his purpose for making the call was not to undermine any system, but simply to ensure that the papers were prepared in order that he could be brought down to the court today. He said that his experience in the poorly ventilated cell played havoc on his already fragile health condition and that the person who was sent to examine him was a fellow prisoner who could only check his glucose level, which at the time was acutely low. The judge said he’d have the matter investigated as it pertains to how Selgado’s health condition is being treated at the facility. Following the adjournment, one of Selgado’s attorney, Arthur Saldivar told reporters that he thinks the prison was too harsh on Selgado for calling and inquiring about his release papers.
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for Oscar Selgado
“There is always this belief that there’s special treatment and he’s not going to be treated the same way ordinary people or other persons would be treated. He is an ordinary person. There is nothing superhuman about an attorney. And he is an ordinary person with serious medical frailties and conditions. And certainly there’s no special treatment being given to him. He’s been convicted of a serious offence, we know this, and like any person would, he has to go through this process. I do believe that the prison for what he is said to have done, acted extreme, to say the least. A phone call does not warrant a trip to solitary confinement. He was not threatening anybody. He was not making himself a menace. He was simply querying as to whether or not his removal order was properly processed for him to be here today. So I am urging the prison and the prison authorities who I understand have a job to do, to at least be a little bit more reasonable and rational with all their inmates but in particular with those who have conditions like Mr. Selgado. We had the situation of Jahan Abadi not too long ago – a person, Mr. Selgado, with Mrs. Salgado’s particular medical condition, diabetes. He himself was put in solitary confinement on a number of occasions for very minor things, wound up dying in less than a year. We do not want that to repeat itself. I believe that the management at Kolby were given that privilege to manage and earn monies off inmates with a view to having conditions made better for all inmates, not to make remand time and short-term sentences a death penalty. The court may not be apprised fully and understand fully, so we are in the process of bringing a doctor to give the court the benefit of expert testimony as to what could be expected, and why it is that the facility at Kolby is not adequate for a person in Mr. Selgado’s condition.”
Selgado’s Attorney Says State Should Utilize Client’s Training as Part of Punishment
Former Chief Magistrate Sharon Fraser, in her testimony as a diabetic, spoke to the challenges that diabetics such as Selgado endure, and how prison life adds to those challenges. Saldivar said that in a case like this, where the convicted is a trained expert in a field of study, the state should use their training to the benefit of others as a part of their punishment, rather than to tolerate jeopardizing their lives.
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for Oscar Selgado
“She spoke as only she can, about the challenges of diabetes and why it is from her expert and knowledgeable point of view, the prison would not be the best place for Oscar Selgado. We must remember, apart from being the former chief magistrate of this country, Ms. Fraser sat on the Parole Board at Kolby for quite a number of years, so she is intimately in tune and knowledgeable about the conditions of the prison and its capabilities. A part of sentencing has to do with rehabilitation and reformation. Mr. Selgado has the real prospect of losing his livelihood, which is a very grave punishment in itself. What he also has, by virtue of the expertise that he has and the training that he has, is the ability to help a lot of poor people out here, not by coming to court for them, but by providing advice for them. So there should be other ways that we look at to punish him appropriately for this offense that has been committed, but without compromising his life and losing a resource that could otherwise be put to good use for the public at large.”
The proceeding was adjourned until nine-thirty Friday morning.
Man Walks from Murder Charge
Twenty-one-year-old Jahstar Wassani Gonguez is free of the November first, 2021, murder of Shawn Robert Palacio, also known as “Ras Shawn “. The case ended in a nolle prosequi when the main witness was too afraid and asked if the state can protect her. But when she was informed that there is no witness protection system in Belize, she chose not to testify in the matter. Gonguez spent two years, six months on remand. He was arrested and charged with Palacio ‘s murder on November eighteenth, 2021, seventeen days after the fatal shooting. On November first, 2021, forty-year-old Shawn Robert Palacio was gunned down while walking on Mudd Street on the Jane Usher Boulevard area of Belize City. In 2021, Palacio ‘s murder came as a shock to his community as he was not known to be involved in any violent activities.
Chinese Businessman Charged with Obtaining Property by Deception
A Chinese businessman is in trouble with the law after a fellow comrade alleged that he was conned out of almost a quarter million dollars’ worth of drinks. Owner of Ritchie’s Supermarket Limited, and Island City Supermarket Limited, thirty-seven-year-old Wen Yuen Zhen pleaded not guilty to the charge today and was offered bail of ten thousand dollars. The Court Prosecutor, Corporal Humbert Ayala had heavy objections to bail, including that he is a flight risk since he is just a naturalized Belizean and not a born Belizean. Furthermore, Ayala argued that there are no documents before the court to substantiate that Zhen has ties to Belize, but Zhen’s attorney, Immanuel Williams, submitted to the court that Zhen is a businessman with several properties in Belize and has no problem surrendering all his travel documents to the court with any necessary company documents to show his ties Belize. According to Williams, Zhen has been doing business in Belize for over seventeen years and that he has brought a civil suit against the virtual complainant. The magistrate offered Zhen bail of ten thousand dollars, plus one surety of the same, or two sureties of five thousand dollars each. It is alleged that Wen dishonestly obtained an assortment of drinks belonging to Caribbean International Brewery, all to a total of just under a quarter of a million dollars. According to police reports, on December second, 2022, the other Chinese businessman, sixty-two-year-old Kevin Xin of Carmelita Village, Orange Walk and Director of the Caribbean International Brewery Limited, (C.I.B.) reported to them that between April sixth, 2022 and August fifth, 2022, he sold an assortment of alcoholic drinks to Zhen. He said that Zhen paid with two Atlantic Bank cheques, which the bank later informed him could not be processed because a stop order had been made by another person. He said Zhen told him he would check on it, but he has not heard from him and has stopped answering his calls. But Zhen’s attorney, Immanuel Williams says Zhen is suing the brewery and Xin in a civil matter that is already before the court. In that suit, Zhen is asking for the removal of the beers and for the brewery to pay for warehouse storage fees. Williams shared some details on how the two businessmen ended up in court.
Emmanuel Williams, Attorney for Wen Yuen Zhen
“The matter is still in its infancy, so there’s not much I can state about the matter at this time. However, there is an agreement between the complainant and Mr. Zhen, and pursuant to that agreement, there was some bad faith between the parties, and the complaint was lodged, and subsequently my client was charged with the offence of obtaining property by deception. He is not to interfere with the witness and they encourage him not to be within a hundred feet of the witness and to visit the court every Friday until the conclusion of the matter.”
Zhen must appear again in court on July tenth.
OJ Elrington’s Case Adjourned to End of May
Attorney Orson ‘OJ’ Elrington returned to court on Wednesday for a matter in which he is accused of sexual assault, stemming from an incident that occurred back in January. When the matter was called up at nine a.m., Elrington was absent, despite the fact that his attorneys, Senior Counsel Hubert Elrington and Norman Rodriguez were present. When he arrived half an hour later, Elrington apologized to the court. DPP Cheryl Lynn Vidal appeared on behalf of the crown and informed the court that she was seeking an adjournment for May thirtieth. Following the adjournment, attorney Rodriguez spoke with the court reporter.
Norman Rodriguez, Attorney-at-law
“Well today was set for the service of disclosure. The prosecution is not ready with that so Madam DPP requested a short adjournment to the thirtieth of May when the disclosure will be served on us and our client. That’s basically what happened today in court. There was no indication but Madam is chief when it comes to prosecution, so she can appear at any time and that is part of the process that we must abide by. …It’s eight weeks or two months, pursuant to the criminal procedures rules.”
Inspector Walton Banner Goes Before Lower Court
Thirty-six-year-old Walton Banner, a police inspector, appeared before the court today in the presence of attorney Ronell Gonzalez, to answer to a charge of obstruction. It is the second time he is appearing before the lower court on a similar offense. On April first, it was alleged that Banner intervened when Corporal Shane Cabral attempted to arrest Julian Reynolds at the Castleton Race Track in Burrell Boom Village. When he subsequently appeared before a Senior Magistrate, Banner pleaded not guilty and was offered bail in the sum of one thousand dollars, plus one surety of the same amount. Earlier today, he sought an adjournment which the magistrate granted. He is due back in court on June seventh.
Trio Arraigned for Illegally Logging in Monkey Bay
A trio of loggers, including a Guatemalan national, was arraigned earlier today for illegally felling trees within the Monkey Bay National Park back in January. The men were charged jointly for four offenses, including unlawful cutting of forest produce, unlawful possession of forest produce, unlawful conversion of Mahogany using a chainsaw and unlawful collection of forest produce. Forty-two-year-old Tyrell Banner, a truck driver of Camalote Village, his son, nineteen-year-old Kaylon Gabourel, and Guatemalan national David Morales Sandoval, a resident of Salvapan, appeared before a senior magistrate this morning where they were read the four charges. They pleaded not guilty to the offense and were offered bail in the sum of eight thousand dollars, or two sureties of four thousand dollars. During the arraignment, the senior magistrate inquired about the length of time that it took for the men to be brought up on charges. According to a representative of the Forestry Department, they had to seek legal advice on how to proceed with the charges. The matter was adjourned to July tenth, 2024.
Fisherman Arrested for Attempted Murder
Tonight, a Los Lagos fisherman, is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after he was arraigned for abetment to murder and attempted murder charges. He is thirty-three-year-old Ludrick Andrew Usher, who was brought in for the attempted murder of twenty-year-old Jahshiel Cervantes. On Saturday, around ten fifteen p.m., Cervantes had been socializing in Majestic Alley with a group of men when he was approached by an SUV and fired at. Using surveillance footage from the area, police were able to locate the vehicle and suspect. Usher, who was unrepresented, appeared before a Senior Magistrate in Court at around two thirty p.m. today where he was read two indictable offenses. Allegations being made against Usher are that on Saturday he purposely aided an unidentified individual in the commission of murder. Due to the nature of the offenses, no plea taken from Usher and Usher was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until August seventh, 2024, where he is pending bail.