Trials - Channel 5 Belize

Man Acquitted of 2022 La Democracia Murder

Tonight, twenty-year-old Paul Smith Junior is free of a murder charge. Smith was accused of the April 2022 murder of nineteen-year-old Tyreak August in La Democracia Village. Today, he learned from Justice Derick Sylvester that the crown is dropping the case against him with a nolle prosequi. Justice Sylvester asked Smith about his plans at such a young age. He also noted that Smith was a juvenile when he was accused, arrested, and charged for the 2022 murder, and questioned how he will adjust to life after spending over two years on remand at the Belize Central Prison. Smith shared that he plans to join the Belize Defense Force and be a positive role model for his younger sister and support his family. However, Smith also faces two gun-related charges for possessing an unlicensed firearm and ammunition while on bail for the murder. He violated his high court bail conditions, which stated he shouldn’t be arrested and charged with any other offenses while out on bail. Smith’s bail hearing for these charges is set for Friday, and he remains on remand at the Belize Central Prison until he can secure bail for the pending gun and ammunition offenses. We also heard from Smith’s attorney, Ronell Gonzalez.

Ronell Gonzalez, Attorney-At-Law

“The judge like other judges I have seen offered guidance to young people that come before the court. In this case he offered guidance to young Paul Smith to say that what happens from here in your life is dependent on you. You have the power to make changes from this point. You are now free from this case. What happens is your choice. That is some kind of guidance I have seen come before these courts. Madam Justice Moore does the same kind of guidance. Often times young people get caught up in these offense and they need some kind of guidance moving forward.”

Airport Employee Tells Court He Accidentally Injured Himself During Scuffle

Today’s arraignment was anything but ordinary for two ramp agents from the Philip Goldson International Airport in Ladyville. It unfolded in the lower courts following a near-fatal confrontation where a knife was involved, leaving one employee injured. Initially, reports claimed one worker had stabbed his colleague. However, another version suggested the injury was self-inflicted when the aggressor accidentally fell on his own knife during the scuffle. Earlier today, the injured man admitted that he hurt himself. At ten a.m., twenty-seven-year-old Darvin Jamaal Sutherland and nineteen-year-old Jiovanni Ishmael McKenzie faced charges in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court. McKenzie, who was injured, received police bail, while Sutherland was detained and brought to court in handcuffs. McKenzie, clearly in pain from his injury, needed assistance from his cousin and stepfather to enter the courtroom. During the proceedings, McKenzie’s odd behavior raised concerns about his ability to comprehend the court process. Before the charges were read, McKenzie announced he was there to drop the charges against his cousin, Darvin Sutherland. However, the prosecutor explained that McKenzie couldn’t withdraw the charges on the spot. He was informed that to drop the indictable charge, he must return to the precinct where he initially reported the incident and request no further court action. Only then would the D.P.P. issue directives to the court.

Man Arrested for Allegedly Stabbing Sister’s Boyfriend to Protect Her

Today, a twenty-three-year-old man named Brett Mejia was sent to prison after being accused of trying to murder his sister’s boyfriend. His family insists he was acting in self-defense. Over the weekend, reports started circulating about a man who had stabbed his sister’s boyfriend, allegedly to stop him from raping her. Mejia, a self-employed food vendor, showed up in court without a lawyer and faced charges of attempted murder and using deadly means of harm against twenty-four-year-old Kenroy Lanza. Because of the serious nature of the crime, Mejia didn’t enter a plea and was remanded to Belize Central Prison until January sixth, 2025. After the court session, his sister shared her side of the story, explaining what led to her brother’s arrest.

Voice of: Mejia’s Sister

“He grabbed me and my shirt and I end up to release me hard. And I run ova to my ma. When I run ova to my ma, he run behind me with a knife and a machete fi want chop my ma. I mi di try help my ma get the machete and I couldn’t get ot so I run gone hail my breda. My breda reach, when my breda come, my breda mi di try get the knife and the machete but the knife end up di turn right back round and stab my bwai.”

Reporter

“So your brother came to your aid because of what he saw your boyfriend was doing to you?”

Voice of: Mejia’s Sister

“Yes ma’am.”

Reporter

“You said that you all went to make a report but the police she, you di talk lone fool?”

Voice of: Mejia’s Sister

“He said I dih seh lone stupidness. Nothing weh I di seh di mek sense. Well my brother mi charge but ih noh done because weh happen I noh think I could get he back because dat da past craziness. Just mek he keep fi he way. Best thing I could do da just get wa restraining order. What he want give he son, he could give ih son through the police. I wa try fight it with my baby the best I could because I no wa left nobody fi kill my ma and me and just go like that. And now my brother gone da jail.”

Four Men, Including Police Constable, Arraigned for Murder

Tonight, four men from the Faber’s Road area, including a police officer, are behind bars at the Belize Central Prison for the Monday morning murder of taxi driver Shawn Ortiz. The suspects are thirty-five-year-old Kyle Domingo from Madam Liz Avenue, twenty-eight-year-old Gasman Jones from Rio Bravo Crescent, forty-seven-year-old Charles Alexander Brown, who works for the Leadership Intervention Unit, and twenty-three-year-old Police Constable Peter Perez, also from Rio Bravo Crescent. They appeared in court without lawyers at around ten a.m., where the magistrate charged them with murder for the incident on Jaguar Avenue. The magistrate told the men that they couldn’t enter a plea because the charges are indictable offenses. Since the charges are serious, they couldn’t be granted bail and were remanded to the Belize Central Prison until January sixth, 2025. Domingo asked if he could get a copy of the case facts, and the magistrate ordered that each defendant be given one right away. They handed these documents to their attorney. Outside the courtroom, Senior Counsel Simeon Sampson said he is representing PC Perez and Jones, while the other two men are still without legal representation. Before the arraignment wrapped up, it came to light that Domingo owed the court five hundred dollars from a COVID-19 pandemic conviction. He seemed surprised and said he thought the charge had been dismissed. Charles Brown was also informed that he owed three hundred and five dollars. The magistrate told them that their warrants would be sent up so they could serve out their fines in prison while on remand.

High Court Ordered Psych Evaluation for Elvira Mulholland

The High Court has called for a detailed psychiatric evaluation of Elvira Mulholland, the woman who shot her husband on the Coastal Plain Highway. On Saturday, October twenty-sixth, Elvira and her husband, Jeffrey Mulholland, got into a heated argument. Jefrey left the house in his car, but Elvira allegedly chased him down in her own vehicle and shot him in the head. She then reportedly robbed him of an iPhone 16 worth four thousand and nine thousand dollars in cash. Miraculously, Jeffrey lived to tell the tale. Elvira was arraigned on Monday, October twenty eighth, and tonight, she remains behind bars because her bail application wasn’t heard. The judge, after reviewing the case details, ordered a thorough psychiatric evaluation to determine if she’s fit to be in society. As a result, the bail hearing has been postponed to November twenty-fifth. We’ll keep you updated as this story unfolds.

Mother Walks Away from Murder Charge Five Years Later

Tonight, a mother of four, Shareema Neal, is celebrating her freedom after being acquitted of the murder of seventeen-year-old Jasmine Petillo. Back in 2016, Jasmine’s body was found in Mahogany Heights Village, brutally stabbed multiple times. Five years later, D.N.A. evidence linked blood found in Neal’s home to Jasmine, leading to Neal’s arrest. The prosecution claimed the murder was revenge, as Jasmine was the last person Neal’s late boyfriend contacted before his sudden death. Two months after Jasmine’s murder, Neal’s house was burned down, and while pregnant, she was charged with murder. But tonight, Neal is back with her family. Her attorney, Lynden Jones, shared the key factors that led to her acquittal.

Lynden Jones, Attorney of Acquitted

“The judge stated that The Crown did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she was guilty of the offense. She is now a free lady after she was claiming her innocence from the beginning. The trial was done in September. We got a decision today. Trial was a short trial, two days. No person could have identified my client. However, the Crown relied heavily on the investigating officer and on DNA evidence. And we are of the opinion that the DNA evidence did not support the Crown’s case fully. And the investigating officer did not really assist the Crown as much as they needed. We did not get a written submission today. We only got a summary and an oral verdict. But the verdict was positive for my client.”

Reporter

“But tell us, let’s go back a little bit about when this incident first occurred and your client was accused. How did they even link her, aside from the DNA, as a suspect in this murder?”

Lynden Jones

“My client was in a relationship with a known person to the law. And that person was lured to his death. They alleged that the last person who had communication with her deceased common-law was the person who was murdered, Miss Jasmine Petillo. However, that is what the Crown wanted to state, that it was revenge, that Miss Shareema Neal had some involvement or was the main person for the murder of Jasmine Petillo due to the fact that Her ex-commandant in law was worried to her death When they did luminal testing in the house, a little bit of blood was found in the house, and it was sent out for DNA testing abroad, and that’s when they found partial matches of what was could have been Miss Jasmine Petillo’s blood. It was not one hundred percent certain and therefore that is why Miss Neal was charged for the murder of Miss Jasmine Petillo. But we had discrepancies in the case as it pertains to, was it the exact house? Was it twenty-eight where Miss Neal resides? Or was it twenty-eight B, another house? Or what could have been another house? As was stated in the search warrant, where they exactly found the blood is still in question, for since then one of the homes has burned up.”

Belizean American Firefighter Acquitted of Attempted Murder

After nearly two months behind bars, American national Gilbert Lightburn Junior is finally a free man. The forty-one-year-old firefighter faced several criminal charges, including three counts of attempted murder, following a September incident at Shisha’s nightclub in Belize City. The altercation escalated, resulting in three people being stabbed, which led to Lightburn’s charges. However, he insisted he was only defending himself and had no intention of harming anyone. During the chaos, Lightburn was robbed of personal items, including two gold chains worth around seventy thousand Belizean dollars. Today, Lightburn, who had been on remand at the Belize Central Prison, was brought to court where all charges were dropped, and he was declared a free man. The virtual complainants, Ian and Javon Abraham, Mark Usher, and Giovanni Abraham, who Lightburn was accused of attempting to murder and using deadly means of harm against, discovered they were related to him and decided to drop all charges.

Bert Vasquez Appeals Rape Charge Again, Five Years Later

This morning, convicted sex offender Bert Vasquez made a return to the Court of Appeal after a five-year hiatus. Back in 2019, Vasquez, unrepresented, attempted to challenge the four-year sentence he received in November 2018 for attempted rape. However, his appeal was dismissed due to insufficient evidence. Currently serving a ten-year sentence for the forcible abduction and sexual assault of a sixteen-year-old girl, Vasquez is once again seeking the court’s reconsideration. The specifics of his latest appeal remain undisclosed, as media access was restricted by the President of the Court of Appeals. Presenting his case without legal representation, Vasquez addressed Justices Minett Hafiz-Bertram, Woodstock Riley, and Peter Foster, who, along with the Director of Public Prosecutions, participated virtually. The court has reserved its decision on today’s proceedings, with no date set for the next session.

Man Accused of Trafficking 21-Year-Old Employee

Tonight, a shocking case of alleged human trafficking has come to light involving an Indian national. Forty-six-year-old Harish Kishanchand, the owner of Chic’s and Harry’s Import in Belize City, stands accused by his former employee of withholding food, pay, and even his passport. The accuser, a twenty-one-year-old Indian national, claims that while still in India, he was offered a job as a salesperson through a broker, with promises of six-hour workdays from Monday to Friday and a monthly salary of twenty-five thousand Indian Rupees, to be deposited into his family’s account. He was also assured of travel and accommodation arrangements, along with a worker’s permit and visa. However, upon arriving in Belize, the reality was starkly different. The victim alleges that his passport and cellphone were confiscated, and he was not allowed to travel unsupervised. He further claims he was subjected to beatings, forced to work from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, and was only fed leftover food twice a day. This morning, Kishanchand, represented by attorney Jacqueline Willoughby, was informed that he will stand trial for human trafficking. He was granted bail set at six thousand dollars, with an equal surety, which he met this afternoon.

Security Guard Fined for Slapping Common-law Wife

A security guard of Ambergris Caye has been fined four hundred dollars for slapping his common-law wife. Forty-year-old Jose Garcia was arraigned in the magistrate’s court today and admitted to slapping Norma Noh twice. The incident happened on Saturday at their residence thirteen miles north of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. In the absence of a magistrate in San Pedro on Tuesday, Garcia was brought to the Belize City Magistrates’ Court, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of harm. He expressed remorse and told the court that he should have thought before reacting. The magistrate told Garcia that while he saved court time by pleading guilty early, the fact that he slapped Noh not once but twice was an aggravating factor. Since he is a first-time offender, however, and because he expressed remorse, she did not impose a custodial sentence. In a report to police, Noh stated that at around four o’clock Saturday evening, she left work and got a ride on a golf cart, and Garcia met her, and they headed home. According to Noh, they got into an argument, and that’s when Garcia assaulted her. A doctor has classified her injuries as harm, and Noh requested court action against Garcia. He was given until December twentieth to pay the fine; in default, he’ll spend three months behind bars.