Vehicle Transaction Leads to Double Murder on PG Highway

On Monday evening, a man and a woman were found shot dead inside a vehicle about half a mile from the Crooked Tree entrance. Unconfirmed reports from police sources initially suggested it was a murder-suicide. However, as the investigation unfolded, it became clear that the couple was allegedly shot and killed by someone they had a dispute with over a vehicle transaction. The pair, who lived together in Burrell Boom Village, shared a young son. They were well-respected members of their community and workplaces. Martinez was especially known for his passion for basketball. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

To the residents of Burrell Boom, they were the epitome of an upstanding family—a devoted common-law wife and mother, and a dutiful father who always spent time with their only child, a son. But tonight, that picture-perfect image is shattered. Forty-year-old Adelita Gillett and her common-law husband, thirty-seven-year-old Felix Martinez, are dead, victims of a brazen and horrific double murder on the Philip Goldson Highway. They were parked in a dark-colored Chevy Equinox SUV just before five on Monday evening when they were targeted. The incident has left Burrell Boom resident Phillip Martinez in shock.

 

Phillip Martinez, Neighbour

“ When they pass, I say hello, you know, hello. And, you know, that’s the Fridays. that’s what’s surprising to me. Especially when the news broke out like this is what happened. That was really, really surprising to me. Surprised to me what happened. You know, but, um, I’m sorry. sympathy goes with the family. About what happened. They are very, very nice people.”

 

Martinez and Gillett were inside their SUV, parked on the shoulder of the road, facing towards Belize City. They were about half a mile past the entrance to Crooked Tree Village. Martinez was in the driver’s seat, with Gillett sitting beside him. The police stopped the traffic in both directions for almost two hours to process the scene and the SUV, gathering all the evidence they could find. When they moved the vehicle, bullet holes riddled the driver’s side window. The police reported discovering the vehicle shortly before six PM after receiving a call, but a civilian had actually found it over an hour earlier.

 

Today, neither family of the deceased wanted to speak. However, Felix Martinez, well-known in basketball circles, was remembered by Jacob Leslie, President of the Belize Basketball Federation. Leslie, who had known Martinez for fifteen years, shared some memories, noting that their last conversation was about a month ago.

 

On the Phone: Jacob Leslie, President, Belize Basketball Federation

“He’s about five years or so younger than me. So we’ve been playing against and with each other for, for, for some time now.  His involvement in basketball has been extensive. He plays in a lot of leagues, a lot of competitions, and obviously he’s an athlete who truly loves this sport, no?”

Marion Ali

Okay, so the last time you saw him or spoke with him, when was that?

 

On the Phone: Jacob Leslie

“Would you know?  Well, he was playing, um, in the past, over 35 seasons, and after the season finished, he had messaged me asking me, um, what were the intentions with the Elite League, if there’s going to be any league this year, when we try to start, and that was the last conversation I had with him.”

 

Adelita Gillett was loved by her colleagues at Brodies. As the company’s prized pharmaceutical manager, she oversaw all the drug stores. Today, Marketing Supervisor Maslin Hower and Marketing Officer Kenisha Gooding shared that the workplace was somber, and her team is still in shock. Gillett had been with the company for twenty years, always ready to help wherever needed, and she was known for her cheerful spirit on the job, her colleagues fondly remembered.

 

Maslin Hower, Marketing Supervisor, Brodies

“Whenever you need anything done in reference to anything pharmacy wise, you know, she was always willing and able. Um, and it speaks to  her tenure, it speaks to her, um, work experience, it speaks to, you know, her entire scope of her career.  Even though she was a pharmaceutical manager, she was quite hands on. So you would be able to meet her at any of the pharmacies, whether you were at Northern, whether you were at our, um, Abelma Pan store, or maybe our Albert Street branch.”

 

Kenisha Gooding, Marketing Officer, Brodies

“She’ll walk in the office and be like, I need this, this, this, this, and this. And then she’ll end it off on a high note. If you guys have the time. She’s really hands on. She, she’ll take up the mantle of any person, again, directly under her. If someone’s missing and the job needs to get done, she’ll make sure that it’s, it’s done. And it’s done with love and care and attention.”

 

The company extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of Adelita Gillett and her common-law husband, Felix Martinez. As of now, the police have not yet provided a motive for the tragic double murder. Marion Ali for News Five.