Shooting Victim Speaks Out After Witnessing Roy Burgess Murder

It is not often that we hear a shooting victim, who also witnessed the murder of her friend, speak out about their encounter, especially when that victim was also supposed to be dead. But tonight, Maia James, a Belizean American, is sharing her story, two months after her friend, thirty-two-year-old Roy Burgess, was shot dead inside his vehicle on the Placencia Road. She was also inside the vehicle and was shot in the face. But she survived and remembers the entire ordeal vividly. James sat down with Breakbeat Media in the U.S. for an extensive interview. She recounted the night the incident occurred, the gunshots at close range and how she hid in some bushes with a gunshot injury to the head, while waiting for help to arrive. James saw her shooter and her friend’s murderer. He was also in the vehicle with them. She alleges that the suspect is Ellis Meighan, an individual wanted for questioning by police. Meighan fled to the U.S. where James says she tracked him down and informed U.S. authorities that he is a wanted in connection with a murder in Belize. It is an unbelievable tale of survival and bravery. News Five’s Paul Lopez report.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Thirty-two-year-old Roy Burgess was murdered on April fourteenth inside his vehicle on the Placencia Road. His friend, Maia James, was shot in the face during the incident. Investigators have since been seeking Belize City resident Ellis Meighan for questioning in connection with the murder. But Meighan fled to the U.S. where he is currently claiming asylum. That is the information the Commissioner of Police provided to the press five days ago.

 

May 31st, 2024

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I think the issue with Ellis Meighan currently is that he is claiming asylum so I think the U.S. will go through that asylum process to see if he would meet the asylum to be granted asylum and if he does not meet the requirement then he will be sent back home.  Bear in mind that we have already issued an arrest warrant for him, likewise, his wanted poster is out there.  So the U.S. authorities should know that he is wanted in Belize and Interpol Belize is in communication with Interpol in the U.S. to make sure that there is proper coordination.”

 

 

Maia James, the young lady that was shot at the time when Burgess was killed, has since recovered from her injuries. She sat down with Breakbeat Media, a Youtube channel in the U.S. and provided a detailed one-hour interview recollecting the horrifying incident. James shared that she and Burgess were on a night out in Placencia when Meighan allegedly met Burgess and they all got into Burgess’ vehicle together. According to James, they drove out of Placencia for about twenty minutes, and though she was not familiar with the suspect, Burgess told her that they were taking him to an area where a vehicle would pick him up. They later stopped near mile twenty-two on the road.

 

 

Maia James, Placencia Shooting Victim

“I saw a car coming down the street and he was like this dah the bway deh right yah and he opened the car door and stepped out and when he did that I turned around and looked at this face and that is the only reason I am able to know what he looks like right now because I turned around and looked at his face. And by the time I turned around and looked at him all I heard was pop, pop, pop and I felt like fire on my air, like fire, it burnt so bad. When it happened I was like this cannot be gunshots right now. But I immediately fell between my legs, and I played dead for like a couple of minutes.”

 

 

Deciding to pretend dead could have been what saved James’ life. She says that after a couple minutes she grabbed her phone and placed it under the seat while trying to call her mom. She then got out of the vehicle and dragged herself into some nearby bushes.

 

Maia James

“The second call she answered I said “ma, Cat dead, Juice, Juice, Juice shoot me”. She thought I was playing. She said what? I said I just got shot. She said no, where are you, where are you. I was explaining to her the name of the resort, and she was not understanding me because my mouth is like swollen bad, everything is swollen. She sent her friend to the police station which was directly across the street from her house and that was the only reason why the police came, because nobody called. People heard gunshots, but nobody called the police, so. She called back and I answered and said ma, I cant hold back any more and I am going, I am going. She was like no, she started screaming. She was like listen to your baby cause my baby was crying tin the background. She was like listening to your baby, your kids need you.”

 

James says she knew that Burgess had succumbed to the injuries he sustained moments after he was shot. She recalls seeing someone with a flashlight, while she was lying in the bushes. She believed that the shooter had returned to the scene. Eventually the police arrived.

 

Maia James

“I remember being with my mom on the phone. I had her on speaker and I was like shut up, they are coming back to look for me. Like shortly after that the cop showed up. To that day I don’t know who the person was, but I thought they came back. I thought he saw me running in the bush or something, so I am immediately thinking it was him. So the cops came, I saw the lights. I seen the cop lights, and I heard them get out of their cars but nobody is looking for me. I said police, I am here in the bushes. It was some tall bushes so I am kicking to make movement so they could find me. They were like you all hear that; someone is in the bushes. They found me and looked at me and said who did this to you? I said, Juice, Juice did this to me. As soon as I said Juice, it is like everybody knows who that is. He went straight to the cop car pulled up his picture, showed it to me, and I was like, yes him.”

 

James was rushed to the hospital. She later underwent reconstructive surgery. Two months and three surgeries later, James is sharing her experience. She alleges that a police officer helped Meighan to get out of Palcencia that same night.

 

 

 

 

Maia James

“That same night a cop helped him out of the village. He was on the run until a couple days ago, thanks to me. If I didn’t live, they were friends, you know that right, if I didn’t live he would have shown up to his funeral and everything.”

 

 

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.