Juan Carlos Reyes, Victim’s twin brother

“He can’t come in because the last bus left him, so his friend invited him to go and spend the night at his house”

Jacqueline Woods

Muy and Reyes never did make it to San Juan village, the men were walking along this stretch of road when about half mile away from the village, several men approached them and savagely beat them to death. The bodies were not discovered until early Saturday morning. A bloody board five feet in length was found nearby. It is believed this was the weapon used to kill the men. Today a cross has been placed at the spot where the bodies were found.

Ilda Mendez, Resident, San Juan Village

“They beat him cruel, how they say, like animal, the two of them, it was terrible.

Jacqueline Woods

San Juan Villagers say Muy was a family man and a respectable member of the community.

Gilgardo Arcurro, Resident, San Juan Village

“Mr. Hipolito was a very humble man, but he was, he gave everything for his family, from the beginning up to the end although he had no boys only girls, he wanted only the best for them, he want every single child in his family to get a good education.”

Inspector of police, James Magdaleno and the Officer in Charge of the Orange Walk police station told News Five they suspect robbery was the motive for the killing.

I.P. James Magdaleno, O.C. Orange Walk Police Station

“The motive has to be robbery, and I say that because the two young men that die, they were seen at a particular club in the village and from statements that we have recorded, it was evident that yes, they were somewhat bar happy, and this fellow might have see then spending at lot of money inside these clubs hence the reason they were followed, and he went through the Douglas road and lay-waited them there when the incident occurred.”

Jacqueline Woods

The following day, Saturday, January twenty second, the police captured their first suspect twenty-one year old Eustajio Blanco of San Pablo Village. Magdaleno who told us how they apprehended Blanco, says the young man has confessed to the crime.

I.P. James Magdaleno

“After the alleged crime was committed he left the scene and went to a friends house where he stayed the night. On his departure from that house, he paid the owner thirty dollars for staying their the night, and for some strange reason, he disappeared from the house and went into the nearby cane field. We got the information that he was in that vicinity and we mounted an operation and we went inside the cane field and there he was apprehended.”

Jacqueline Woods

We understand his T-shirt, the T-shirt he had on was stained with blood.

I.P.James Magdaleno

“Yes his T-shirt had blood stains, all the evidence that we collected are presently at the forensic lab in Belize City for analysis.”

Jacqueline Woods

Magdaleno says more than likely Blanco will be charged with murder. Because the other three suspects remain under investigation, their names have not been released.

San Juan villagers say for sometime they have been complaining about the San Pablo/San Juan road, claiming numerous people have been attacked on the road. However, the police say the station has never received any complaints or reports. Magdaleno told News Five that if they had received official reports, he would have assigned a patrol in the area. Magdaleno is asking residents of Orange Walk to immediately report all crimes to the police.