Woman murdered in O.W., suspect charged
We have three murders to report tonight, from three different parts of the country. Two involve female victims who were sexually assaulted before their deaths. The most recent occurred in Orange Walk where this morning I visited the scene of the crime.
Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
This morning Orange Walk police removed the badly decomposed body of twenty-four year old Rachel Cicely Chun. The young mother of a seven year old boy was found inside this concrete building still under construction on Santa Familia Street. At the crime scene investigators also found this bloody cement block believed to be the murder weapon lying next to the body. It is also believed that victim was sexually assaulted.
Det./Sgt. Julius Cantun, Lead Investigator
“The body was half naked and we suspect that there was some form of sexual assault. I also observed that the body had severe injuries to the face, which at this time, we do not know how she received those injuries. The matter is under investigation, but we believe that that was the injuries that caused this young lady’s death.”
According to authorities Chun, who is from Punta Gorda had moved to Orange Walk two months ago to look for a job and up until the time of her death she had been employed at a local bar where she worked as waitress. Today police arrested this young man identified as seventeen year old Krismar Espinosa. Espinoza who was the last person to be seen with Chun was arrested based on his own conversations following the crime.
Robert Mariano, O.C. Orange Walk Police Station
“He went and made confession to some people of Orange Walk and they brought him in along with his attorney. When he made the confession to them, he informed then exactly where the body was located.”
Sgt./Det. Julius Cantun
“Yes we know that he has spoken to certain people who are not police. We are recording statements at this point in time, however, he has not made any declaration to the police.”
Police say they believe that Chun and Espinoza knew each other and that around ten on Friday night Espinoza had offered to walk Chun to her boyfriend’s house but when she did not return home by Sunday, concerned friends reported her missing to the police.
Sgt./Det. Julius Cantun
“She was last seen in the area of Aurora Street. That is where she was renting an apartment along with her friends. Her friends who came to report her missing gave that information to the police and yes, they also indicated that she was seen in the company of a male person who we suspect is the person we have in custody.”
“The information we got is that she was under the influence of alcohol. That will be verified as soon as we get through with the post mortem and we get the blood samples. All those analysis will be conducted. However, information is that she was under the influence of alcohol and at this point in time we do not know for sure that—or if she was drinking with the suspect.”
The cops believe Chun was killed either late Friday night or early Saturday morning. Orange Walk police are also investigating to see if there is any connection between this latest homicide and the murder of Anna Novelo who was bludgeoned to death. Novelo’s body was found in the same area in a concrete structure under construction.
Sgt./Det. Julius Cantun
“On the tenth of May we had a murder, almost in the general location, with the same nurus operandi, and we are strongly, strongly looking at this person as a suspect in relation to the first murder of Anna Novelo. So yes, we are investigating; we are putting everything together and see if there is any link or if it’s the same person involved.”
Police say while Espinoza does not fit the description of Novelo’s killer they are not ruling out anything. Although the murder of Chun occurred in a populated neighbourhood, people in the area say they did not hear or see anything out of the ordinary.
