Charged for Theft and a Person of Interest for Double Murder, John DeShaies Denies Both
News Five can confirm tonight that there’s a team of F.B.I. agents in Belize investigating the double murders of one of their own, ex-U.S. marine thirty-six-year-old Drew Thomas DeVoursney and his girlfriend, fifty-two-year-old Canadian national Francesca Matus. The couple was found dead inside a cane field in the outskirts of Chan Chen Village, Corozal District where their bodies had been dumped after they were bound at the wrist with duct tape and manually strangled. Locally, the Belize Police Department has had little information to go by, except the fact that the couple was last seen alive on April twenty-eighth, leaving Scotty’s Bar and Grill in Corozal Town. They never reached their home on Serenity Sands Road in Consejo Village and Matus’ Isuzu Rodeo SUV was discovered abandoned inside a cane field in Paraiso Village five days later. The international investigating team was today seen processing the vehicle to assumingly assist the police with finding the perpetrators of the heinous crime. But since Tuesday, fifty-four-year-old John Deshaies has been in police custody as a person of interest for the homicides. The Canadian national, who says he has been living in Belize for the past two and a half years with his girlfriend and two kids is accused of the theft of over fifty-seven thousand dollars worth of electronics from the Placencia Casino, for which he was arraigned today. News Five’s Duane Moody has been following the story and reports from Independence where he and cameraman Kenroy Michael stood watch as the accused thief was hauled to the southern court earlier this morning.
Duane Moody
“In the next few minutes, a person of interest in the Corozal double murder of Canadian American couple, Francesca Matus and Drew Thomas DeVoursney will be paraded up these steps to the Independence Magistrate’s Court. A fifty-four-year-old Canadian national, John Deshaies, is expected to be charged for offenses in relation to theft at a Placencia casino, which occurred early this year.”
Around one-thirty p.m., Deshaies arrived at the Independence Police Station and within minutes was escorted to the court where he appeared unrepresented before Magistrate Yolanda Demoya. He had been criminally charged for two offenses: the theft of fifty-seven thousand three hundred and seventy-eight dollars worth of data servers with hard-drives, laptops, tablets, fourteen gaming machines, external hard-drive, electronic chips and adapters amongst other miscellany.
The second charge was for handling stolen goods. On Thursday, Deshaies was transported from Placencia to Corozal in handcuffs where he led police to where he lived on Serenity Street in Consejo to recovery the stolen items from the casino. Fifty-two thousand and eighteen dollars worth of the unlawfully obtained items were retrieved and taken back Placencia.
No plea was taken from Deshaies since the matter will be dealt by indictment before the Supreme Court. During arraignment, Deshaies, who says he is a building contractor by profession, claimed that his attorney Estevan Perera was unable to make it to court in time. He, however, made a brief statement to our cameras while exited the courtroom.
John Deshaies, Accused of Theft
“This was a job matter; this was me doing my job.”
Duane Moody
“So you believe that you are wrongly accused?”
John Deshaies
“Absolutely. Absolutely.”
Duane Moody
“Sir so what now because now you are being remanded to the prison.”
“Well we got to find out.”
During his arraignment, the prosecutor, Sergeant Kenneth Magdaleno, objected to bail on four counts: the gravity of the charges due to the volume and value of the stolen items. Considering that Deshaies is a flight risk and also that the case has caused national and international alarm. But the nail in coffin is that the Canadian national is a suspect and is under investigation by officers in the Corozal jurisdiction for the murder of his landlady and her American boyfriend.
Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, O.C., Corozal Police Formation [File: May 4th, 2017]
“We have one person we believe can assist us in our investigation.”
Reporter
“Is that person in custody?”
Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold
“So far yes.”
Reporter
“Is he a local?”
Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold
“I rather not day.”
Reporter
“Often times these crimes may involve someone with some familiarity or intimacy because he’s an ex-marine, according to his physical description, six foot six if I’m not mistaken. It’s not someone lightly taken on. Are you able to say if the suspect may have had some familiarity that these people were not on their guard? Because taking down a six foot six marine and strangling him, it wouldn’t appear to be a quite easy thing, you’d need a very large or a significant number of people to do that.”
Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold
“At this point the investigation is still in its infancy stage and we are looking on that angle also. At this point we cannot say.”
Reporter
“Were you involved in the murder of your landlord Francesca Matus?”
“Not at all; she is a very good friend of mine. Absolutely not.”
Duane Moody
“You lived with her sir?”
John Deshaies
“Yes I did.”
Deshaies was remanded to the Hattieville prison until November sixth, when disclosure is to occur followed by a preliminary inquiry on November twenty-third. Duane Moody for News Five.
How does a 54 year old take down two people, one a 36 year old Marine who knows how to kill?
Found hands bound!