Accused killer is flown back to Belize to stand trial
It was a killing that shattered the laid back peace of the Placencia Peninsula, not to mention the entire nation. But today, less than a month after being captured in Honduras, the prime suspect in the murder of a U.S. tourist has been returned to Belize to face his accusers. Patrick Jones was on hand for the homecoming.
Patrick Jones
“The welcome party at the International Airport did not roll out the red carpet for the returning fugitive. Instead they busted out a brand new pair of silver bangles for him and an express ride to Belize City.”
Norman “Butch” Martin accompanied by Honduran and Belizean police returned to stand trial for the July fifth murder of U.S. school teacher Raymond Kirk. Martin, along with two other men, allegedly held up patrons of the Singing Sands Resort on the Placencia Peninsula around nine o’clock that Sunday night, and on their way out shot the forty-seven year old tourist to death as his wife and twelve year old son looked on. The three men then escaped to neighboring Honduras by boat. But their flight from justice was short lived as police on both sides of the border worked closely in pursuit of the trio.
A.I.P. Eli Salazar, C.I.B., Belize City
“What happened is we worked on intelligence all the way from Belize. When we got in Honduras we got informants and we worked on intelligence also. And as a result of the information we managed to capture this guy.”
Q: “Is he cooperating with you? Is he readily giving up information regarding the incident in Singing Sands?”
A.I.P. Eli Salazar
“Yes. He cooperated with us in Honduras.”
The extent of Martin’s cooperation with police, is being closely guarded by Salazar, who headed the local two-man team that went to La Ceiba, Honduras last month. Salazar would not confirm that Martin was the triggerman but said the police have a good idea who the shooter was. Martin was intercepted without incident by Honduran authorities as he rode with some people in a vehicle several miles outside of Tela. Head of the La Ceiba Police Detachment, Captain Luis Aguilar Mazzonni says his men did all they could to assist in getting Martin back to Belize.
Captain Luis Aguilar Mazzonni, La Ceiba Police Detachment
“It has been a very good and satisfactory experience for both countries showing police collaboration between the region, and we hope to continue to show that crime have to stop in Central America and throughout the world. The Honduran police continue to search and will not rest until all are captured and extradite them to their country of origin for justice to be done.”
A.I.P. Eli Salazar
“I want this to serve as an example to the criminal world that it doesn’t matter where they commit the crime or where they go after they commit the crime, we’re coming for them.”
Commissioner of Police Ornel Brooks, who witnessed the handing over of Martin to Belizean authorities, says the fact that he is a Belizean made it easier to get Martin extradited to stand trial.
Ornel Brooks, Commissioner of Police
“When our officers went over to Honduras we went with a fairly high level of evidence plus intelligence and through our cooperation with our Interpol liaison officer we were able to pursue and apprehend “Butch” and of course he was wanted in Honduras. And so our efforts greatly facilitated their investigation.
In addition to that they were able to break up a ring of robbers with whom “Butch” was involved with in Honduras. And the Interpol liaison officer used all of his influence in Honduras through the judiciary system to assist us in having “Butch” handed over to us.”
Brooks says the same process should get the other Belizean suspect, Glenford Westby, to Belize, assuming that he will be captured in Honduras. Getting Carlos Castro here, though is going to be a bit ticklish, Brooks said, as he is a Honduran national and the cases are rare when a country will hand over one of its citizens to stand trial in another country for a capital crime. Brooks says this first fruitful cross border cooperation in law enforcement is testimony to the close working relationship that exists among the region’s security forces.
Ornel Brooks
“We have been working very closely with our Mexican counterparts and they have assisted in having wanted criminals transferred to Belize. We had a recent case only a few weeks ago when a Mexican that killed a Belizean in Orange Walk. With the cooperation of the Mexican authorities we were able to bring that man across and was charged last week.
One have to understand that Belize is a part of the Central American Police Organization. I as the Commissioner belong to the Central American Chief of Police Association and we have been doing a lot of work at all levels to try and create greater harmony and cooperation among forces in the region. And the effort here between ourselves and Honduras exemplifies that effort at the top.”
With one big fish in the boat, another on the line and a third about to be hooked, there were plenty of reasons to smile but whether these fish will ever fry is a matter to be decided by the Belizean system of justice. And that, viewers, is one cranky dorey. Patrick Jones for News Five.
Formal charges are expected to be filed on Wednesday. They will include eight counts of armed robbery and one count of murder.
