Customs broker, Stephen Kuylen Jr., is executed in Orange Walk

Stephen Kuylen

A vicious murder, the first for this year in Orange Walk, has left the community reeling and the family of the victim in deep shock. A young and well-known custom broker, Stephen Kuylen Junior, was executed inside the yard of his house at around nine o’clock on Tuesday night. He was home alone and there is reason to believe that the murderers entered the yard with ease to carry out the execution. The news of the murder spread like wildfire with rampant speculation suggesting that he was marked for personal reasons, but officially, the police and family cannot confirm any motive for the cold blooded murder. Duane Moody today spoke to neighbors who claim they saw two men flee the area following the shooting.

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Duane Moody, Reporting

The first murder in the Orange Walk District for this year was recorded on Tuesday night. Thirty-one year old Stephen Kuylen Junior, a customs broker originally from Corozal Town, was killed execution style sometime before nine p.m. inside his fenced yard on Sixth Street in the Pasadita Area of Orange Walk Town. From what we were able to gather, Kuylen Junior had recently moved to the area. When police arrived on the scene, his body was found beside the house with gunshot wounds to the left cheek and left side of the temple.

Insp. Julius Cantun, Deputy O.C., Orange Walk Police

“The police made checks and they found the motionless body of Mister Stephen Kuylen lying face up in the yard of that location. Police were able to see what appeared to be gunshot injuries to the left cheek of the victim. Further checks revealed what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the left temple area of the victim.  Initial investigation is that Mister Kuylen had arrived home sometime earlier before this incident and at about eight-forty to eight-forty-five p.m., the neighbors heard gunshots being fired in the general direction of Mister Kuylen’s residence.”

Julius Cantun

A resident says that Kuylen Junior’s house is located in a dark section of the Pasadita area where there are no lights. She confirms that while her household was about to retire for the night, they heard the gun blasts and the sound of a bicycle as it sped away.

Voice of: Neighbor

“All we heard were several shots. I don’t know if it was four or five shots around…I think it was between eight and nine; that’s all we heard. We didn’t know for sure if it was shots, but then later on, people were saying that it was shots. You hear about things like this but you never expect it to happen so close.”

Duane Moody

“Now that area, I’m understanding that it is really dark…not even a lamppost with a light in that area. Is that so?”

Voice of: Neighbor

“Yeah, no light is there. It is very dark there. You don’t know who passes back there because you can’t see it.  We didn’t anything but what we heard is just a bike pass through, like they were going really fast.”

Duane Moody

“This was right after the shooting?”

Voice of: Neighbor

 “Yeah…sometime after the shooting yes.”

Police are looking for the motive behind the heinous crime. What is known so far is that Kuylen Junior was shot at close range and he was alone at home; his common law wife, twenty-seven year old Farah Marchand had not arrived as yet. But did he know his killers? Do the empty beer cans found close to his mortally wounded body suggest that he was socializing prior to his murder? According to Deputy Officer Commanding Orange Walk Police, Inspector Julius Cantun, a motive has not been ascertained and they are looking at all the possibilities. Kuylen Junior’s licensed firearm, however, is missing.

Insp. Julius Cantun

“We are looking at different possibilities and theories in regards to the death of Mister Kuylen. Certainly we are looking at…in regards to his profession as a customs broker and we are looking at the aspect of his acquaintances and his personal life. So thus far, there is no motive that has been ascertained to us the police. It is also a possibility that he stepped out of the confines of his house to the yard where he was executed because he might have known somebody who had called him out. Or there are other means to get somebody out of their house without him suspecting that something is waiting for him out there. So we are not certain. The police also received information that shortly after the gunshots were heard, the neighbors say two persons running away from the house of the now deceased. Further police investigation permits us to suspect that the deceased nine millimeter is now missing and we suspect that that was stolen from him by his assailant.”

For residents in the area, the murder has left them in fear.

Voice of: Neighbor

“It creates concern because it happened so close so you never know what can happen.”

Five expended nine millimeter shells and two live nine millimeter rounds were found at the scene. Duane Moody for News Five.

The police are looking for one person for questioning in connection with this homicide.