PC Cajun Charged with Manslaughter for Beating Death of O.W. Resident

Joseph Myvett

In the north, a police officer has been charged with the crime of manslaughter. He is Police Constable Leenart Cajun.  The incident happened in 2018 at the house of Ariel Audinette Salazar.  Eight lawmen, PC Cajun, B.D.F. soldiers Mateo Bolon, Patrick Villagran, Patrick Diego, Elvis Cob, Edmar Petillo, Bladimir Escarraga, and Francisco Sho were charged for Salazar’s murder and the attempted murder of Oscar Payes.  The case against the ‘brutal eight’ was struck out after police officers failed to carry out a directive from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.  That directive has now been carried out.  It has been ordered that these men be re-arrested and re-charged for the killing of Salazar.  On that unfortunate day, the law enforcement officers stormed Salazar’s house after a woman told them that Salazar had taken her cell-phone. The men took it upon themselves to savagely beat Salazar and Payes, leaving them for dead. Payes recovered, but Salazar did not. Investigators are looking for the remaining culprits for them to be charged.

ACP Joseph Myvett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch

“As you were aware himself along with other members of the Belize Special Assignment Group BSAG were previously arrested and then for some reason the case was struck out however further investigation was done and the D.P.P. ordered that they be rearrested and charges be instituted against them. So far it is only Cajun that has been found along with another person that was brought into custody this morning who is also going to be charged today.”

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“That matter is one which has been in the pipeline for something. I guess it was only a matter for the investigator to complete directives that the D.P.P. had given him. Those directives have been complied with and so the directive was given by the D.P.P. to proceed with manslaughter charges against the police and members of the B.D.F. then B-SAG which is now the Special Assignment Team who were involved in the beating death of the young man in Orange Walk Town.”