Murder Charges Against Alleged Supal Street Associates are Withdrawn

In October of 2015, a well-known notorious street figure, Edward Albert Robinson was targeted by gunmen but he escaped the shooting and instead a bystander, Jamil Betancourt, was fatally shot and killed.  The gunmen were believed to be two known Supal Street residents. And on October twentieth, 2015, police escorted twenty-two-year old Devon Sankey, and twenty-five year old Ryan Alvarez, aka “Lippo” of Supal Street to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on a slew of charges.  But today after five months and three weeks on remand, on directives from the D.P.P.’s office, the court withdrew all charges against Sankey who maintained that he was at home sleeping when the crime took place.   Betancourt, in a statement to police, said Sankey was at the scene, but did not pull the trigger. However, he identified Alvarez as the man holding the gun and shooting at him. Robinson, a resident of North Creek, Belize City was shot in the back and the bullet exited the chest while Betancourt was wounded on the right side of his chest. Sankey and Alvarez were jointly charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder in the shooting death of Robinson and charged with the attempted murder and dangerous harm of Betancourt.  A preliminary inquiry is set to commence on May sixth, 2016 before the Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser for Alvarez.