San Ignacio resident is murdered on a main thoroughfare
In the wee hours of this morning a San Ignacio resident was brutally murdered on one of the municipality’s main thorough fare. Jorge Luis Tzib was brutally stabbed and his throat slit. His body was found in a pool of his own blood across from Red Cross offices. The murder has shocked his family and community. Moments before his death, Tzib had apparently been witness to an altercation and tonight police are waiting for video surveillance that could shed light on the murder. Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Sometime around one-thirty this morning, twenty-nine year old Jorge Luis Tzib witnessed an altercation in front of the Blue Angels Night Club and Bar in San Ignacio. Twenty-five minutes later, several blocks away on Joseph Andrews Drive by a branch of the Belize Red Cross, his lifeless body was found. He was stabbed multiple times to the neck and his throat slit. It is not known whether his death is in relation to the altercation, but it is known that he had no real enemies.
Reymundo Reyes
Inspector Reymundo Reyes, Deputy O.C., San Ignacio Police
“In a dark short pants and a sleeveless t-shirt and a knapsack on his back. Also beside the bad we were able to observe a large amount of blood. A close inspection of the body revealed that the person had been stabbed several times around the neck area and his throat was also slit. At this moment, the investigation is young. We cannot ascertain what actually transpired, but we have two persons who we are questioning…people who we believe might be able to assist us since they were in the immediate area at the time of the incident.”
One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, claims that they had retired for the night before the murder transpired. She claims that the incessant barking by a dog woke them up. They saw a score of police officers surrounding a body smack in the middle of the street. They initially thought that someone had been knocked down.
Voice of: San Ignacio Resident
“My grandson hear the dog the bark and bark and bark and he got up and opened the door. When he opened the door, ih look through on the street and ih see some police man deh out. So ih gone ina di room and call ih mommy and tell ih mommy, police deh out yah. So the two of them come out at this corner yah soh and dehn see the body di lay on the street. About ten minutes after that she come wake me up ina my bed—and I sound asleep—and ih say ma, dehn known down wah man on the street. So I hurry get up and it chilly and we stand up right dah the corner and watch the body and more police di come.”
Duane Moody
“So at first you guys thought that someone had knocked down the person?”
Voice of: San Ignacio Resident
“We mi think dah knock down ih get knocked down. But when we heard them di talk it hard; dehn say dehn cut the man neck.”
Duane Moody
“Neva know who di person was and neva seen him around?”
Voice of: San Ignacio Resident
“No we neva come out to see his face. We only stand up yah soh and see dehn put ahn ina di stretcher and dehn ker ahn out. when dehn pick ahn up, ih soft…like it just happen or something.”
According to his aunt, Maria Martinez, Tzib had no known enemies. But while he was not a troublemaker, he was frequently intoxicated. Martinez says the brutal killing has left the family in shock.
Maria Martinez
Maria Martinez, Aunt of Murder Victim
“I am very sad to know that they killed him like that. They killed him so cruel that mien all of the family is in shock. I know he likes to drink; he is a person that likes to sing; he is a person that likes to enjoy himself anywhere they have parties…he likes to sing all about. But I don’t know what happened. He is a person that likes to drink. He likes to talk hard and loud talking, but I don’t know what took place last night. I really don’t know.”
Duane Moody
“They took his life brutally man…”
Maria Martinez
“Brutally…brutally, I tell you. When they told me that…hmmm….I was just waking up and I say my dehn people don’t have heart to do that.”
A post mortem was conducted on the body of Tzib this afternoon. Police are currently in the process of retrieving footage, believed to have been captured by the surveillance camera of The Office Gurus; just across from where the murder took place. Duane Moody for News Five.
Two persons are currently detained for questioning in connection with this latest homicide.
