Belize City Duo Charged for Murder of Valley of Peace Vegetable Vendor
A pair of Belize City men, believed to be among three persons who robbed and fatally shot a vegetable vendor last Wednesday, appeared before the new Chief Magistrate earlier today. Twenty-three-year-old Milton Nunez, a resident of mile two and a half on the George Price Highway and twenty-one-year-old Emerson Elijio, a car washer of a Barbara Harris Street address, have been charged jointly for the murder of Jose Antonio Lopez. The businessman, who resided in Valley of Peace, was socializing at an establishment in the Gungulung area of Belize City when a trio pounced on him and an altercation ensued. During the melee, Lopez was mortally wounded before being relieved of his wallet and licensed firearm. In court earlier today, the duo appeared unrepresented and was read a single charge of murder. No plea was taken from them due to the nature of the offenses and bail was denied. Nunez and Elijio have been remanded to the Belize Central Prison until June nineteenth, 2023. This afternoon, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero provided an update on the weekend arrests.
Hilberto Romero
ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division
“Reference the murder of Jose Lopez that occurred on April 12th, 2023, police have since arrested and charged Emerson Elijio, twenty-one years and Milton Nunez [old], twenty-three years [old] for the crime of murder. We are seeking one more suspect in regards to this murder. They knew each other and they were there for a while before the shooting happened at the area. They stole his firearm. We’re not going into details as to the evidence, but after the investigation was done, we made these arrests.”
Jose Lopez
Reporter
“Is robbery still the primary motive that police are looking at?”
Hilberto Romero
“Yes, that is the primary motive we have at this time.”
