Cristo Rey resident murdered by his cousin

Leroy Tzib

Aside from the passport scandal, there is crime to report. A man was stabbed in Cristo Rey, Cayo District, over the weekend. At the center of the latest homicide is a cousin of the murder victim. Leroy Tzib was stabbed to death as he headed home; tonight his relative Geovanni Pech has been charged with his murder. Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Just after eight on Friday night, a twenty-one year old Caretaker of Cristo Rey Village in the Cayo District, Leroy Tzib, was fatally stabbed as he made his way to a shop in the village. He was approached allegedly by a drunken cousin and following an altercation, Tzib was killed.

Patrick Tzib, Resident, Cristo Rey Village

“I was inside my home and I heard stones dropping and words being exchanged. So I came out and see what happened. When I came out, I see like somebody di lay down in the middle of the street. I hear people di scream and say what he done get killed already; call police and everything.”

The police were called in and they found the lifeless body of Tzib laying face down in a pool of his own blood. He had allegedly been stabbed three times by his cousin, twenty-four year old Geovanni Pech. Tzib managed to walk a short distance away before he collapsed.

Insp. Reymundo Reyes, Deputy O.C., San Ignacio Police Formation

“On arrival, the lifeless body of a Hispanic male person was seen in the middle of the road. Information was that the person had just left his house en route to one of the stores in the village to purchase a phone card. On his way, he had an altercation with a male person who apparently alleges that he was attacked by the deceased namely Mister Leroy Tzib by stoning him with stones. As a result, they were engaged in an altercation resulting in Mister Tzib being stabbed on the left side of his neck.  At the time of his detention, he had what appears to be a pocket knife strapped to his side and when inspected, it had red substance believed to be blood.”

Reymundo Reyes

Reporter

“Leroy was stabbed only once?”

Insp. Reymundo Reyes

“He had a stab wound on the left side of his neck, one on the left side of his ribcage and one on the right side of his chin.”

Patrick Tzib

“He walked maybe like fifty yards from where he mi actually get the incident because I could actually see the blood from weh he mi deh to where he drop.”

Reporter

Patrick Tzib

“Was this frightening to come out of your house and see somebody down there dead?”

Patrick Tzib

“Well yes because this is something weh you noh see all the time…especially wah village where these things can happen so many people noh get frighten and scared of what dehn see.”

Elmer Juarez

Elmer Juarez, Justice of the Peace, Cristo Rey Village

“We are still shocked, we are still traumatized with this tragedy that just struck the village on Friday night. A young guy in his early twenties was just brutally murder; something I think many villagers just like myself have foreseen coming. There have been several fights in the village. Apparently there are rivaling groups in the village that have been fighting each other and we have had some serious fights and unfortunately this had to end up like this.”

According to the deputy Officer in Charge of the San Ignacio Police Formation, Inspector Reymundo Reyes, the accused appeared to have been under the influence of alcohol when the stabbing occurred.

Geovanni Pech

Insp. Reymundo Reyes

“Information we have is that the persons are relatives but when they are socializing and maybe the consumption of alcohol is involved that is when we might have or say that there is problems amongst the same villagers in that area. But apart from that we cannot say if it was something that they were waiting for him or that it was just a coincidence that he was passing when the incident happened.”

Duane Moody for News Five.