Unsolved Murders, Cold Cases – Families’ Hopes Dashed in the Absence of Arrests
Near the end of each year, the Belize Crime Observatory, an arm of the Belize Police Department, shares statistics that reflect the crime rate in different categories for that particular year. The information usually paints a picture as to how grim the previous year was in terms of murders, sexual offences, home invasions, robberies, and burglaries. But zeroing in on the murders, while the department has been able to make arrests for many of the homicides, quite a few have also gone unsolved. Over the years, there have been several murders that have become cold cases, simply because the police have had no new clues that lead them to make an arrest. In the following story, News Five’s Marion Ali takes a look at a few of the murders that have gone unsolved, leaving families still hoping for some type of justice for their lost loved ones.
Michael Williams
Michael Williams, Murdered in January 2019
Marion Ali, Reporting
It’s been a few years, almost five, since the January twenty-sixth, 2019 murder of Michael Alexander Williams, a businessman and son of pepper sauce connoisseur, Marie Sharp. The fifty-eight-year-old general manager was shot dead as he parked his vehicle on North Front Street to let his girlfriend out. All that was gathered at the time was that two men approached Williams and one of them pulled out a handgun and shot him. Since then, the investigation has gone cold. Today, Williams’ youngest son, Patrick revisited the incident with us.
Patrick Williams
Patrick Williams, Son of Michael Williams
“Up to this point, we don’t have anyone as yet. No one was charged and the case has gone silent. I have a lot of people ask me the same question time and time again, and, I’m sorry to say that there’s just, no one has been charged as yet.”
While the Williams and Sharp families still hope for an arrest for the crime, they have been able to cope with their loss over time.
Nigel Ferguson
Nigel Ferguson, Murdered in August, 2023
A mother whose son was stabbed to death less than two months ago has an even fresher wound and difficulty coping with her loss. Janet Lopez lost her son, fifteen-year-old Nigel Ferguson, described as a boy with special needs, in the latter part of August this year. Lopez told News Five today that she still has difficulty falling asleep because of the pain she endures knowing her son’s killer is still roaming the streets.
Janet Lopez
Janet Lopez, Mother of Nigel Ferguson
“We got no kind of update. I gone back da the station the 13th of September fi follow up pahn my sons case and dehn nuh really tell me nothing. All weh dehn tell me da bout 11 to 12 people involved, but nobody noh get arrest. I di hope fir some kinda justice, you know, because I even got in the Ombudsman office, so I di wait back fi wa ansa from dehn fi see what wa be the outcome ah my son case.”
But Janet Lopez and Patrick Williams are only two persons who have been waiting for some kind of justice for the murder of their loved ones. They represent many more who are still hoping in silence that someday, their loved ones’ killers could be made to pay for the crimes they committed.
James Gordon
James Gordon, Murdered in September of 2021
There’s also the family of James Gordon, who was gunned down mercilessly on the evening of Wednesday September, 15, 2021, as he arrived at a residence on Meighan Avenue to collect monies that had been owed to him.
Ernesto Williams
Ernesto Williams, Murdered in January of 2020
And the family of the former owner of Sky Deck, Ernesto Williams, who was executed on the night of Friday, January 24, 2020 as he headed to his vehicle that was parked on Orange Street.
There were other heinous unsolved murders that have spanned almost or over a decade, such as the four men who were found murdered in a house on George Street on January eighth, 2013;
Alfred Schakron
There’s also the murder of slain businessman, Alfred Schakron, who was shot dead on the morning of October twenty-fourth, 2012 in front of Body 2000 Gym on Coney Drive.
And who can forget the callous rape and murders of several girls whose bodies were later found with severed limbs days after they went missing between 1998 and 2000. While their families have had to cope with their loss over time, they’ve probably lost all hope that they will ever get justice. This is also a sentiment that even Patrick Williams and Janet Lopez, share in common.
Janet Lopez
“I’m disappointed in the system because da like dehn nuh di push no effort pahn it. But unu could tell me 11 to 12 people, dehn say, involve eena my son, but no kinda arrest.”
Patrick Williams
“My real disappointment would be in like in the community, you know, like if you have cameras and people are afraid of giving up their recordings because they don’t want anything to follow them. That’s my disappointment, but if we stand up as a community, maybe we can help the police solve the crimes and it would ease down the crimes around the country. People ask about the situation, if it’s been solved and things. Yeah, it does bring me down a bit and gets me back into the thought of it, but I just try to move on.”
Marion Ali for News Five.
