Cayo businesswoman murdered during mother’s day robbery
Zhen Zhennong
Just over a year a half ago, Zhen Zhennong, and her family moved to Santa Elena from the People’s Republic of China in search of a better life. But instead, her life ended tragically on Mother’s Day when she was shot dead at her restaurant. The twenty-seven year old mother was murdered when three minors pretending to be customers ordered food. News Five’s Jose Sanchez reports from Santa Elena.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
Zhen Zhennong, businesswoman of Alwin’s Restaurant in Santa Elena, was brutally murdered during a robbery on Mother’s Day.
Voice of: Neighbor of Murder Victim
“It’s sad, especially being mother’s day and dehn gone wid di poor lady life just like dat. Ih mi di back ih lee baby pan ih back and all ah dat. Dehn bwai dehn noh got no kinda mind fi do something like dat. We just mi di look fi go lay down when I si wah shadow pass by my door but I neva really pay it no mind because people pass through fi we yard. Wah lee while afta dat dah when my lee gial run out from dah back di seh ih hear di gunshot. I tell ah what I noh hear nothing. Ih seh come, ih seh di Chiney man di bawl cross dah di next yard. So I fly out deh wid no shirt and when I gone out deh but ih mi done too late and di bwai dehn mi gone. When I gone inna di Chiney I si di poor lady di bleed to death pan di floor. We call di police.”
According to a neighbor, the alleged murderers were minors.
Jose Sanchez
“Did you hear anything about the culprits themselves, what they looked like or who were they?”
Voice of: Neighbor of Murder Victim
“Just somebody weh mi deh inna di neighborhood weh come buy fry chicken and dehn gone by di parking lot deh by di store. She seh ih si di three young guys di go, ih seh but small guys with wah lee knapsack pan dehn back wid dehn head tie and thing. She neva know dah form deh dehn di come, wah robbery.”
Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Wade says the motive behind the slaying was robbery.
Paul Wade, Assistant Commissioner of Police
“Our initial investigation into that matter indicates that at around ten-twenty or thereabout, three young men in their teens entered the restaurant and ordered food. At that point, the husband of the deceased went to prepare food, but shortly after he heard a commotion outside and shortly thereafter one gunshot was heard. Upon coming out, he saw his wife on the ground. The three suspects then made good their escape but not before robbing the establishment of cash and telephone cards.”
Because Zhen and her husband Xinge Tan worked late hours, Zhen always carried their six month old child Yan Yu Tan on a backpack. If Zhen didn’t turn at the moment she was shot, the bullet would have killed the toddler. The bullet exited her body and somehow went through the wall of the kitchen.
Paul Wade
“Since then police have detained three persons for questioning.”
Jose Sanchez
“Has the husband been able to identify? Would he be able to identify them; were they wearing masks, stocking?”
Paul Wade
paul wade
“We’re working on that with him, but as you’re aware he is in a state of shock at this point in time so we are giving him a little time to work with. But we believe that he will be able to.”
Jose Sanchez
“What is the normal business closing hours? I know for Belize City the Chinese closing hours is at nine. I understand the restaurant was opened at ten. Is ten o’clock an hour that the businesses on that stretch would be opened?”
Paul Wade
“I think the restaurant in questioned open until midnight and they have authority to do that.”
Jose Sanchez
“But the other businesses would have been closed.”
Paul Wade
“I don’t know. Restaurants and shops are different so—shops I know close at nine o’clock. The restaurants and this specific restaurant close at midnight.”
Yan Yu
Voice of: Neighbor of Murder Victim
“They are some friendly couple. They just moved inna di area and dehn dah some very nice persons fi live wid as neighbours. Dehn noh mess wid anybody. Sometimes if you noh have money fi buy yoh lee food and you tell dehn yoh wah pay dehn later, dehn give yoh. Dah noh like dehn mean or nothing so dah mi wah sad, sad thing fi si dehn gone wid di poor lady life just like dat.”
It is a sad day as the family closed up the restaurant to prepare for the funeral. However, Zhen Zhennong, the mother, protected six month old Yan Yu on Mother’s day. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
This is an utterly heartbreaking story. My thoughts and prayers are with the family. Things will never be the same for them again, all because of some worthless men. They are WORTHLESS because people (if I can even call them people) like that have no place in society. To kill a woman while she has her baby with her on Mother’s Day for some cash and some phone cards? I can’t wrap my head around that kind of evil.
Mein this is so sad to see a mother killed on mothers day. This is horrific! The poor woman was doing what working hard and taking care of her child. Its not a good thing to go rob but mein take ehat you want and avoid the violence. There was no need to kill that poor lady. They could have hit her or something i mean there were so much of them. Why shoot the poor lady and almost kill her child too. Our government should really do something about all this happening. Bring back corporal punishment. There is no other way out but bring back the worst, to hell with human rights. The people killed are not human then????
Criminals like these do not diverse to live… Thanks God that none of my family have been affected directly by the crime wave. My brothers and I have agreed that if any of our family are targets of the criminal activities; then we would start to hunt and eliminate ALL suspect or gang bangers…
We would take justice in our hands since the PM (paraphrase Mayor Zenida words) ‘do not have the BALLZ’ to confront the crime violence…Maybe someone NEEDS to attack a Minister or his families to make them know that anyone can be a victim since Belize is a small country..
And I ask the PM: “how about if your son or daughter was murder? until then you would react ?”
YOU WERE ELECTED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE OF BELIZE! REMEMBER PM AND THE MINISTERS; ELECTION TIME WILL COME…..WE WILL NOT FORGET THAT YOU SERVED ONLY YOUR POCKET AND NOT THE ISSUES OF BELIZE
This murder should not be treated any less than any other murder in Belize, I hope that the police will work hard to catch those responsible for the crime.
This is why the country need fi bring bak hanging. i have no sympathy fi the three bwai deh weh commit this crime deh should hang dem. Nowadays killing di become too easy that everybody think that they can get away with it. Goverment need to do something about these killings .
How many more crimes will be committed before the government start to do anything about it. The way I see it is that anyone can get away with anything in this damn country. I cannot believe that we have people on this earth who are so cold hearted to kill a mother with her child strap on her back. The people who did this, I hope they get what they deserve. We need to bring back hanging in Belize to stop all thise crimes. come on government. do something about it how much more crimes needs to be committed. Myabe when it reaches home then you will do somethng about it.
This is so sad, a mother murdered on mother’s day. Mien what is happening in this country? When will the government will do something?
We should starting hanging murders or at least place them in a public place and lash them. Physical punishment is what they deserve instead of just sending them to prison and feeding them.
If they crucified Jesus for nothing. couldn’t it be possible to start hanging the three punks that made this crime? and could the hanging be made in public so that the message be spread to all our neighboring countries that suffer with the same situation. could we start hanging now? its the 11th of may 2010 9:00 am.
this chiny lady was very friendly, i’m a regular customer and normally buy my fast food there in the night when my family are out there late we normally pass by to buy food before we go home. it really makes human mind and reasoning hateful to get the reality of this brutal murder. young guys killing a young mom. i wonder where they are and how their mothers think of them, are they shame of what their sons do? we need hanging here in belize. barrow need to apply this hard punishment before a civil war begins in this lovely country going wild. may the lord confort this young kid that will never ever see his lovely mom again, killed by some senseless s.o.bs for mothers day. Lord help the griefing husband too, cause this is real painfull to him and this community where i live Santa Elena.
This is really sad and it breaks my heart for what they did to this woman and her child, God Almighty, I am pleading to the proper authorities to please find these worthless no good murderers and hang them in front of the police station, God, this is sad sad sad. I really don’t want to read or hear that when they find them human rights jump in and say they are minors!! Bullshit, minor don’t go around shooting innocent people.
THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION!! I STRONGLY BELIEVE THERE IS SOMEBODY INSTIGATING ALL THESE CRIMES, CAUSE WHERE DO THIS WORTHLESS MEN GET GUNS FROM?????
I hope the community of Santa Elena offers the father and child all the support they need. They need you all more than ever right now. Thank you Channel 5 for showing these images — might have taken some ethical decision making, but we need to see it like it is. Blood and all.
I hope these boys get a chance to see a blown up picture of that child’s face in court — one look , and I’m sure it will strike a nerve of humanity in their dark beings .. somewhere.
those ppl that kill the lady should be found and give them at least 125 yrs in jail without parole. To me it makes no sense to go and kill a person who is working to make aliving legitimately. If this happen to any of my family it will change me and unleash the person i don’t want to be.
It is sad to hear all these murders going on and Government does nothing about it. They should atleast comment bout it on the papers and radio, but they are to busy with their lives going to other countries to escape the REALITY OF BELIZE. SHAME ON THE GOVERNMENT OF BELIZE, YOU ALL SHOULD BE PERSECUTED TOO, FOR DOING NOTHING.
Hey REAL….. are you serious about what you say? you sound real…. that’s good. I am considering myself dead already…., making plans for my family to move on with out me…, police force is useless……time to take matters into our own hands.,.. and let them keep investigating while so much crime is going on…… am tired of all this, … so if you are not a criminal don’t even try to look like one, or dress like one….
come on people lets take back our country please!!!!!! ARE YOU WITH ME??????
It is sad to hear this…I am so heartbroken, last 2 weeks, I went to buy a Shrimp Chop Seuy for my mom. Zhen was so friendly, we had a nice conversation about her baby. She told me the baby kept having fever and was poop poop alot!! I told it is because she is starting to have teeth. While having this nice conversation, she had her baby strapped on to her as well. She was always seen with her baby. I just can’t believe that someone took her life away from her baby. She was such a nice lady. RIP Zhen…
I really hope that they catch the real guys who killed this nice woman. I have visited her restaurant on several occasions and they are nice people. i was so touched when I heard about the little kid. How frightening that these boys can be so cold-hearted! I ask the community if anyone knows who they are to plzzzzz report them before they do it again. Once they get away they’ll do it again. This poor man will never forget this day. Human rights, stop making things worse. These are not humans. Protect them for what? To do it again? They did the crime, let them do the time!!!!
This murder is beyond sad, and I have no words that can comfort the family, or the little baby. The poor little one will be raised without a Mum, and only narrowly escaped the same bullet!
No doubt the Police will make an arrest, the file will go to the DPP, and, as we see almost every time, with a less than 7% conviction rate, they murderers will walk free from court over a technicality, bad paperwork, witnessess failing to show after being threstened, or ‘connections’!
Until the “First Belizeans” start being the victims of violent crime, I guess we’d better get used to it , check our Life Insurance polices & Wills, & book out little holes in the ground, as no-one there is going to help or protect us, especially not the Police or Government.
But all is not well – as the PUP once said “You are living in a good country”!
Very SAD!!!! I keep thinking these criminals have family they have parents you cannot tell me some of their relative don’t know that their son or brother or nephew committed this crime. Someone know who it is you mean Belizeans have gotten so heartless that they would allow these monsters to go free for committing such a horrible heartless crime, if know one pay for this then I know MY COUNTRY IS LOST IN HELL!!!!
***PRIME MINISTER DEAN BORROW*** and the ***MINISTER OF DEFENSE, Carlos Perdomo*** Where are you? Our government can certainly learn a thing or two from the Mexican president Felipe Calderon and start to eradicate violence, gangs and pass harsher punishments for possessing a gun illegally! Use our police force effectively as well as the BDF. Our children are being wrapped into the life of gang-banging and it is utterly disgusting! I SAY IT’S TIME START TO PROTEST, WRITE LETTERS TO OUR LEADERS AND DEMAND REFORM!
WE SIMPLY CANNOT LIVE IN TERROR AND DANGER ANYMORE!
LET’S USE OUR VOICE TO DEMAND OUR GOVERNMENT TO START DOING THE JOB THEY ARE BEING PAID AND ELECTED FOR!
this is a perfect reason why Belize needs to bring back capital punishment. (death).
This crime against the young girl has been but an utter disgrace for those responnsible. In fact, I strongly beleive that those responsible should be punished severely. The “law” is too lenient and must be amended to enforce stricter punishments. The time if jails are done, we must use punishment as those of our ancestors, criminals must be hang, burned, drag to the street, stoned to death…no better, don’t kill them, make them suffer for as long as they breathe.
Here’s an idea, why don’t we inject our criminals with cyanide, or the Ebola virus and have bleed their sins out of their worthless life.
agree with you emeli, let start as of now, as soon as we hear who the police arrest for the killing of Zhen let just walk inside the police station as ask the policemen to excuse us and wait outside then we take care of these no good animals, first we lash dem 100 times tabram wipped, then we start to cut off fingers one by one, then we cut out their eyes, pour gasoline in the eyes sockets then we light the match, Ok then we shot them in their heart OK, when we finished with these jackasses, you bet know one will want to kill again in this area, police will bury them.
I am part of this let me know if you guys are in!!!!! Only then justice will be served, I would love to get to those idiot lawyers who defend this animals, only with them the punishment would be slower.
SIGN UP GUYS!!!!
Words cannot express how i feel about ths latest murder, imagine it happening on a day when we are celebrating our mothers. My sympathy goes out to the family. I wonder; where are the parents of these criminals, you need to take responsibility for the actions of your children, if you want to redeem yourselves then turn them in. Mr Prime Minister instead of buying expensive suvs for your ministers in these hard times; find the money to equip a forensic lab and provide the training for those who will operate it. Finally i agree with all those who are calling for the death penalty, any juvenile who commit such heinous crime should be treated as an adult. I now call on the human rights to people to think about the rights and pain of the victims.
I personally beleive that hanging should be brought back regardless if it goes against human rights.. Humans dont go around killing innocent people working hard for a living ! From my point of view hanging should be seen as a common thing and should be done in public infront of large corwds so it sends a message to those who are planning crime! The irony behind it is that the moment the go to court theyll be given an easy sentence because they are minors but that is un fair and the sad thing is that theyre mothers are pleading and begging to not the send their child to jail. If you do the crime you pay the time regardless of how old you are ! cause from an infant one child go up they know when they di do somthn bad ! So them murderers out deh need fu be killed brutally !
this is total b.s. I am tired of reading about killings in my once peaceful country. Our government officials are as worthless as these punks who took an innocent life for some money. They should be hang by there balls if they have any. MR. PRIME MINISTA stop using big words and start making big decisions. HANG these s.o.bs
its sad i just return back from belize i remember stoping at alwins my heart is full i cant understand whats is going through the minds of those guys in bze,what is the the law doing about them, i guess the figure they will go to jail for a COUPLE OF YEARS THEM COME OUT AND DO THE SAME THING OVER AGAIN, why arnt the police doing something with these criminals they take a life you take their life i bet they would stop what they are doing, this has got to stop, pretty soon belize wont have any tourist any visitors any investors it will be like a dead zone with zombies walking around some people come to belize to start a new life minding their own business and still have no peace only fear for their life and their family belize law makers wake up stop the corruption and do what need to be done me myself i belive the police are as corrupted as the criminals for me it would be a life for a life.
this is so sad to know all these things are happening in our community, i do believe drastic measures should be taken……just a couple years in prison is not enough for these criminals.the punishment is not enough thats why these criminals dont think twice to be cruel and take life of innocent people.
police just charged the guys, their pictures will be released on friday May 14th
God, please help us to see no more violence…
God???? U religious believers sicken me!!!!! Stop wait for God to do something and do it urselves!!!!