Missing case file may predict a usual end to murder trial
Wesley Emmanuel
The trial started on Monday and could fall apart because of a missing file. Justice Adolph Lucas has ordered a full investigation into the missing case file for two murder suspects. The questions now being posed by Justice Lucas are who received the file when the case was first committed to the Supreme Court and where is it now? Since the documents went missing from the courthouse, the case against Wesley Emmanuel and Jessie James Ochoa is now in limbo because the Indictable Procedure Act does not allow the court to proceed without the original case file.
Jessie James Ochoa
Prosecutor, Yohhahnseh Cave, laid the foundation of the allegations when the trial started and was to call his first witness this morning but the hearing had to be adjourned until Wednesday to give authorities time to locate the file. Justice Lucas made it clear that if the file is not found, the jury will be discharged and the case falls apart. The original case file should have been in the hands of the court marshal and would be forwarded to the judge during trial. Emmanuel and Ochoa are accused of fatally wounding Emelio Orlando Gomez during a robbery in southern Belize on June sixteenth, 2008.
There have been too many case files end up missing for these types of crime. I think that court marshal should be fired, if he actually signed for that file and end up losing it but we all know what happened to the file and this Indictable Procedure Act sure makes it easy to have a case thrown out I wonder who introduced this Act in the house my guess would be one of those lawyers that got rich from these type of cases, I say immediately do away with that act and create many levels of redundancy for the case files under lock and key and have everyone sign for files received it makes no sense to have such an act only for those who conspire to get rid of the original case file and they complain when we blame the police for their shabby work well if they have no fault in this missing file issue than I would think that they would have a signature from the court marshal and relieve themselves of any blame. How long is this type of thing going to continue for? I am sure that there have been previous investigations into missing files which turns up empty.
damm what a corrupt gov. they just do it openy now with no consequence i guess when their is no leader who cares sick sick gov.
No No NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Even the court is full of IDIOTSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!
Corruption at its best…….how U think people get busted with coke and heroin and the test cum back ‘negative’??…..these things stink way up to the top of the Ministries involved……lee small-fry cyant di set this up by themself…….if only the Minister could be caught sober for once so he could explain
If the case file went missing it had to b something done by someone there. Fire the whole lot if them n charge them with tampering with evidence. I cannot believe that craziness. We complain abt crime but then we’re helping the criminals get off. Way to go Belize.
God will be the judge for all these crazy things happening in Belize Corruption, Murder, Steling there got to besomeoneat the top involve , Ministers playing games with the people of Belize Life .The Poor People of Belize is punishing while they are happy doing what they do best.
Corruption starts and continues from the top down, not bottom up. It’s clear that the criminals are controlling the Government of Belize. Too many crocked Attorneys, who making millions, if not billions, defending the $ss…. who needs to be burnt abnd stoned in the presence of their victims families. The Prime Minister MUST be impeached. He is as useless as these thogs, but then again, he is gaining BIG TIME from it all………….
WHERE IS THE SENSE OF JUSTICE FOR THESE VICTIMS .IS THE POLICE GETTING PAID TO GET RID OF EVIDENCE? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. GET RID OF THESE INCOMPETENT OFFICERS.
I would like to see Justice Lucas go further and say if files are lost people lose their jobs and even bring charges against them. I can’t help but think that they are being paid to deliberately lose files. Furthermore, is it really that hard for the judiciary to understand the lost of one file is incompetence but two three four looks like there is something more sinister happening. Heads should be rolling!
Why can’t all the files go to one central point where the staff there are responsible for each and every file. I don’t think this has been taken seriously at all. Justice Lucas I hope you are able to punish those responsible for losing these files. Are there cameras in this building? Maybe we want to start thinking of getting some. Each and every legal document should be archived and absolutely no file should go missing. Too many jackasses, I know they say the law is an … but this is usually after at least the case went to court and the various technicalities lead to an unfair victory. I don’t know what the hell we call this, but pure and simple corruption in a Kangaroo court? Maybe.
It is sad but true Belize is one of the most criminal minded societies in existence I hear comparisons with Mexico, Honduras and Jamaica and other countries and statements that we are getting just like them but in reality if you compare it on a per capita basis Belize is worst than most of those countries take our neighbor Mexico for example it is stated that drug related homicides are responsible for 23000 deaths in Mexico since the year 2006 well I was comparing that to Belize and this is what I came up with correct me if I am wrong . I would say Belize right now is averaging about 11 per month and I am contributing all of them to drugs here is what the numbers look like remember that this is on a per capita basis we are measuring Belize as if had the same population as Mexico:
Population of Mexico= 106,350,433
Population of Belize 300,000
Population of Mexico greater than Belize =354 times greater
Mexico’s drug related deaths in 1 month=479 1 year =5750
Belize’s drug related deaths in 1 month=11 1 year =132
Belize drug related deaths annually if compared to Mexico if they both had same population would be 132×354= 46728 per year that is 8 times as much drug related death give or take a few.
corruption, corruption ,corruption!!!! How the hell can they do this to our country?!!! Letting murders pay a few dollars to escape sentencing? We have become no better than Mexico!!! It’s not until the family of government officals start catching stray bullets, that the laws will be changed. It’s not until the tragedy reaches their door steps that they will take the commoners into account. This is truly a tragedy!