Police try to I.D. murder suspect from home video
The number of people on Belize’s list of most wanted fugitives is again up to three, the latest addition being the person who brutally stabbed to death Geneive Robinson in the village of La Democracia last Friday. The police spent most of today desperately trying to put a name to the face of the alleged suspect, a man videotaped recently at a Muslim church service. While the only name police have come up with so far is “Dawood”, I’ve been talking with a woman who may provide some key testimony in the brutal slaying.
The last person to see Geneive Robinson alive was probably her babysitter. The lady, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she first met the deceased several weeks ago when Robinson came to the village to sell some items. That’s when she said she asked if it would be okay for her to baby-sit Robinson’s three year old daughter and four year old son.
Voice of Babysitter
“She tell me that she need some help later on. She wanted to do some business and so. But then we were talking about the business? but then she said her husband is planning on going away. But then she said if he goes away, I can still stay with her. We planned on that. We got to become good friends, right.”
Two weeks later, the babysitter said she showed up at the Robinsons’ residence on the morning of Thursday, March nineteenth. But instead of a warm welcome, the sitter said she walked in on a heated argument between Geneive’s husband, Jimmy Dave Robinson and the wife of their next door neighbor.
Voice of Babysitter
“He was passing at her side of the place, she throw water after him and apparently he said, you should be careful not to wet me and then she said well don’t pass over here, then he told her that he could pass wherever because the place isn’t for any of them to walk around.”
This is the apartment house that was shared by the Robinsons and their neighbor, whom police has identified only as “Dawood.” According to reports the relationship between the Robinsons and Dawood became strained when he complained that the Robinsons babysitter’s children had wandered into their house. In fact a division was made up of stones and logs just to keep the neighbors away from each other’s place and when Mr. Robinson ventured into his neighbor’s division apparently looking for a part of a radio that he lost, the lady next door threw water on him. According to the witness, when Geneive went to help her husband look for the lost item, water was thrown on her as well. Robinson, who was almost nine months pregnant, then threatened to call the police.
Voice of Babysitter
“That’s when the other lady got mad and she rushed after her and she shoved her in the back and almost knocked her down. Then they started a heated argument after that and the woman then went for her husband again.
When he told the other guy that the place is not for any of them, they could have free access to pass. Then he said well if you come near by my wife again, I’ll hurt you.”
According to sources, because both families are Muslims, the matter was never reported to the police, but instead, following the religion’s practice, fellow Muslims working on the Hamsey Farm, where both families lived, approached the neighbors and tried to settle the dispute. That talking apparently worked, as the babysitter said there was no more arguments that day. But the next morning, which was Friday, March twentieth, the babysitter said that while she and Geneive were out raking leaves to burn, “Dawood’s” wife approached Geneive, demanding that they put the fire out.
Voice of key Babysitter
“She came over again, the neighbor came over again to quarrel and she said the fire is bothering and we need to put it out and so I told her okay we will put out the fire. But Geneive told her “no,” you know the fire is not bothering you, you just want to make a fight and that’s when she started arguing again.”
According to the babysitter “Dawood” came across to them, never spoke a word, but just looked on and walked away. About eleven o’clock later that morning Geneive is reported to have informed the babysitter she would be leaving to go and catch the bus at the roadside to meet her husband at the Muslim temple in Belize City.
Voice of Babysitter
“After that she left. I went to cook the food and I stayed in the house with the kids and I don’t know anything else. Afterwards I know I was waiting for her because she said she would come about three in the afternoon and we see that she didn’t come. Her husband came in and ask and I told him no she did not come yet.”
On Sunday, police discovered Robinson’s partially decomposed body behind thick bushes across the road from where she lived. She had been stabbed several times to her chest. A post mortem examination revealed that Geneive died of traumatic Asphyxia while the baby she was carrying, a full term male, died shortly after the mother went into shock. While the police immediately suspected Robinson’s husband, and subsequently detained him, the police have since released him due to overwhelming reports supporting the village’s belief that it was this “Dawood” character, who is the killer. The babysitter said she did not see “Dawood” Friday until shortly after midday as he was carrying a bucket of water to take a bath. Then around four the same evening, the American couple along with their two young children packed up and left the area. Ironically the babysitter said as the American family was boarding the bus, stepping off the vehicle was Robinson’s husband.
Voice of Babysitter
“Well he said, he saw them boarding the bus when he was getting off the bus, so he said maybe they went somewhere by Cayo.
I didn’t expect that. You know, they would kill her for such a small thing like that. That’s the only thing that we could think about that they had against her because of the quarrel and because of the fact that she told them that she would be calling the police because that’s what got her very mad when she talked about the police. Maybe they don’t have papers, you know and thing like that, and they are scared.”
