Murder victim’s father identifies killers
Police have detained a number of suspects in Monday’s brutal slaying of two children in Belize City, but no charges have yet been filed. News 5’s Ann-Marie Williams looks behind the crime and finds that the dead kids may be the only ones who are blameless.
Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
The Belizean community is still up in arms and shocked over the bloody double murders of sixteen month old Claymar Monsanto and a neighbourhood friend, eleven year old Francis Maximo, a Standard III student of St. Luke Methodist school in Belize City.
Francis’ mother, Dolette Maximo, says while she went to register the birth of her newborn, who came into the world on Christmas Day, the life of her oldest son was taken away.
Dolette Maximo, Mother of Francis
“My daughter and I were coming home on the bus because I was coming to cook. Before the bus left off, my nephew came and told me that my little boy got shot. So we continued on the bus, I came off halfway and I went straight to the hospital to see. My sister met me halfway and told me to get in the car, and she told me he was dead. They still took me to see him and I saw that he was really dead.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“Do you wonder why him?”
Dolette Maximo
“Well, I just have to ask myself that. He just went to the wrong place when the thing was happening. He always goes there… when I send him to buy, the man would call him to buy for him.”
Maximo felt the life of her son would have been spared had it not been a holiday for Methodist students.
Dolette Maximo
“It’s when there’s a holiday then things happen. They didn’t have any classes.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“So he would have been in school ordinarily?”
Dolette Maximo
“Yeah. Everyday I send them to school and at that time when he got shot, he would have been in school.”
Maureen Pascascio had only one child, sixteen month old Claymar Monsanto.
Maureen Pascascio, Mother of Claymar
“I was right at home, when I heard popshots. I was wondering if Clay was playing with popshots, so I opened my door and when I did, I saw tow masked men just shooting and shooting. I saw Patrick at the door and told him that JR was on the ground and to please pick him up. Then Clay went at the door and called “My son, my son.” And I bawled and asked God “No not my son, not Claymar.” I ran across and saw my baby in a pile of blood, taking his last breath. I just saw my baby on the ground fighting for his life. (Crying) It’s my only baby that they took away from me.”
And many people are wondering just who would take away the life of an innocent child. Claymar’s father is Clay Monsanto, who is no stranger to the world of crime.
Clay Monsanto, Father of Claymar
“The two young boys that we made out were Cracker and Jason, over that side, and they just started opening fire crazily. But we got to see them when they were fighting to put on their masks over their faces. Both of them we saw right there and that was the way they came. It seems like they were watching us a very long time.
Ann-Marie Williams
“Why do you think a situation like this happened?”
Clay Monsanto
“I can’t really speculate anything about it. I just think that maybe somebody set a hit on me, or an old revenge, somebody is trying to get exact, but I have nothing personal with these guys.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“For what reason you think?”
Clay Monsanto
“I can’t say anything about that, because I don’t have anything with them. I made them out plain though, that’s the good part. I saw who killed my son.”
This is the Jason Williams Monsanto is talking about.
Jason Williams
“Clay said… this is what he said on the news, that he saw me when I was hauling on my mask. All day yesterday, this was my clothes. He said the man came in blue, all day yesterday from the time I woke up, I took a bath and this is what I was wearing all of yesterday. How is he going to see me to the back there when all of yesterday I was here? I was here right here, from that yard to this yard. I husked some coconut to go bubble (cook). If they didn’t come and tell me that, I wouldn’t have known it had happened.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“He said he saw you at the shooting?”
Jason Williams
“Yes. It’s me he said he saw. The guys ran up to my house for nothing, I did nothing.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“Do you know Clay Monsanto any at all?”
Jason Williams
“I know Clay, I know him good, good.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“So what would be the reason for him to be accusing you?”
Jason Williams
“That’s a good question, why would he accuse me? That’s a good question, why is he accusing me?”
Ann-Marie Williams
“Did you have a run in with him at any time?”
Jason Williams
“I have nothing with him. From I came out of jail, I humbled myself.”
And although Clay says he’s not certain why someone would shoot his child, it seems as if there’s more to tell.
Maureen Pascascio
“He expected it, but he didn’t expect it at this point, daylight in the afternoon, and not to my son.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“When you said he expected it, did he speak to you about it, did anything happen?”
Maureen Pascascio
“He just got bad vibes that someone would come after him.”
Ann-Marie Williams for News 5.
Police have asked Jason Williams, with or without his lawyer, to voluntarily turn himself in for questioning.
