Victim’s family says money is motive behind murder

While efforts to maintain law and order in Belize City were mostly successful, tonight one family continues to mourn the loss of their loved one to deadly violence.

Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
Thirty year old John Williams is the person Belize City police believe killed fifty year old Mauricio Velasquez. According to Carlos Pinto, his brother had a stormy relationship with the suspect’s mother-in-law. It was at that home on Tibruce Street that Velasquez was viciously attacked.

Carlos Pinto, Brother of Murder Victim
“Most of the time it’s like an off and on thing. Whenever he had his money, they usually always trying to thief him and what happen, the same thing caused this incident. They were trying to thief his money and he rebel back and that is when they actually hit him in the head, gradually cause it to kill him.”

Jacqueline Godwin
“What was he hit with?”

Carlos Pinto
“According to what I hear, it was a hammer and a two by four.”

Police say when they arrived at the residence they found Velasquez’s lifeless body on the ground. The victim’s the family strongly suspects that their bother was killed inside the home.

Carlos Pinto
“He get killed inside the house according to what we heard, inside the house in a chair.”

Glenda Tillett says the reports that her brother was killed because he was trying to hurt someone are untrue.

Glenda Tillett, Sister of Murder Victim
“My brother got hit from back way. They say dah self-defence, but my brother got hit from back way. If it was self-defence it would be from the front, you understand me. But the because they always di thief fi he money, because he always complain to me. Sometimes he come with all kinda marks on his face and I would ask him what happen but he noh really want to say happen what really happen. But afterwards I get to understand what happen because when he cannot take too much he would come to me and explain some of the things you know.”

Jacqueline Godwin
“Do you know in this case if any money stolen?

Glenda Tillett
“Money was stolen because he got money the night before and went there.”

Jacqueline Godwin
“You’ll no know how much money?”

Glenda Tillett
“A hundred and twenty dollars he left with from my yard.”

Today Williams was escorted to Belize City Magistrate Court where he was arraigned on the charge of murder.

Carlos Pinto
“Well I would a want get justice out of it because then so far it take too long for them mi even arrest him. And I would really want see justice come out of it because it’s something that happen back there too often.”

The accused John Williams has been remanded to Hattieville Prison until the nineteenth of April.