A Callous Murder in OW; Watchman is Chopped, Shot to Death

Abner Novelo

The lockdown across the country has minimized crime, but all that changed in the Orange Walk District on Saturday were a grisly find was made. The body of Abner Novelo was discovered on a farm in Yo Creek where he was the caretaker. All indications are that he met a horrible death; his hands were viciously chopped off, his knees slashed and there were gunshot wounds on the body. The police are looking at all angles but there is reason to believe that the murder was related to drug activity. Here is News Five’s Hipolito Novelo with a report.

Hipolito Novelo, Reporting

The body of thirty-year old Abner Otoniel Novelo was found on this farm that he guarded, a few hundred yards off the San Antonio Road leading to Yo Creek Village in the Orange Walk District. The gruesome discovery was made at around nine o’clock on Saturday morning when Novelo’s body was found lying face up, soaked in his own blood.

ACP Joseph Myvett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch

“Mister Novelo is the watchman of the farm he was found on and he was found in the yard or on the compound some fifteen to twenty feet away from the building that he occupies. At the time he had chop wounds and apparent gunshot injuries.”

He was callously murdered. His right hand was chopped off. Both his knees were slashed and he had been chopped several times before being shot in the head. His murderer or murderers knew him. They knew where he was and at what time. Was he killed by someone he knew? Was his friend a foe? So many questions but one thing is for certain, he was clearly the intended target.

ACP Joseph Myvett

“Yes that was the case as he had chop wounds as a mentioned as well as gunshot injuries.”

Reporter

“Do you have any indication that he was tortured before he was killed?”

ACP Joseph Myvett

“None at this point in time.”

Reporter

“Is he known as an operative in any type of nefarious drug activity?”

Joseph Myvett

ACP Joseph Myvett

“I will just say that he is known to the police but I will not going to pin that on him in the absence of having no evidence to support that.  So far we have not been able to establish a clear motive. No one as this point is detained. We are following several leads and the police continue to investigate this matter.”

And as investigations continue, Police Commissioner Chester Williams made it clear: this latest murder has everything to do with a drug deal gone wrong.

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“We believe that it is drug related. So at the end of the day I do not see it as something that the police could have prevented. Obviously these are people who knew each other and they had some fall out over drugs and that is what may have led to that murder in the north.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.