Man Wanted for Murder Hands Self In; Arraigned

The man who was on the run since Saturday, when thirty-year-old Damion Baptist was murdered between miles eight and nine in Ladyville, has been captured. Thirty-five-year-old Jamie Young was arrested and charged on Thursday with Baptist’s murder. The construction worker was charged with aggravated assault against Amber Dawson. He reportedly surrendered himself to police. In the presence of his attorney, Dickie Bradley, Young was read the two criminal offenses. No plea was taken from him due to the nature of the offenses, and he was denied bail and remanded to the Belize Central Prison. Dawson told News Five this week that she had broken up with Young last year and that ever since she started to date Baptist in February and Young became aware of it, he began to harass and threaten them. She said that she had made two police reports against him in that space of time and that she was in the process of taking out a restraining order against him. They were due to appear in court on Wednesday to go through that process, but Baptist was murdered on Saturday. Dawson explained how the incident unfolded on the Philip Goldson Highway and how Young had initially tried to run his truck head-on into their car near Maxboro. When Baptist swerved away and continued towards the direction of Ladyville, Young turned around and set chase, taking out a gun and aiming at the car. When heavy traffic didn’t allow Baptist to proceed any further, Dawson said Young got out of his truck, walked up to the passenger side of the car, and shot Baptist. The car careened off the highway and slammed into a lamppost on the other side of the street. An ambulance that was passing at the same time transported Baptist to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Young will be taken back to court on May thirtieth.