Wilfred Ramirez behind bars for taking a gun to a funeral

Wilfred Ramirez

Last Friday, twenty-one year old Wilfred Ramirez attended the funeral of Julian Willoughby, an associate of his who was slain during a hail of gunfire the weekend before.  While mourners gathered to pay their respect to the fallen youth, Ramirez was nearby armed with a sawed-off shotgun.  He was caught red-handed shortly thereafter at the Lord Ridge Cemetery when, in attempting to avoid being frisked, the firearm slipped through his pants leg.  This morning, Ramirez appeared unrepresented before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith where he was arraigned.  The laborer, of an Antelope Street address, was read two firearm-related charges.  He was indicted on a count of kept prohibited firearm for reportedly having in his possession a rusty, sawed-off shotgun measuring eighteen inches in length.  Additionally, Ramirez was charged with kept prohibited ammunition after being found with a twelve-gauge cartridge.  In court, he pleaded not guilty but, due to the nature of the offenses, bail was denied and he was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until July twenty-third.  In anticipation of a possible retaliation for Willoughby’s murder, Belize City police maintained a presence at his funeral.  Whereas the service proceeded peacefully, their attendance resulted in the bust.