Burrell Boom Caretaker Gunned Down

Prudencio Gonzalez

The Rural Eastern Division is reporting three deaths in its jurisdiction; the first is a murder. A forty-eight year old caretaker was shot and killed at about nine o’clock on Sunday night inside a small house where he lived alone. But the body of Prudencio Gonzalez was found hours later by his cousin, who also worked with him at the Bacab Eco Park. The motive for his murder is unknown and family members say they are unaware of any problems he may have had. Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

At around noon today, the grieving family, including the mother and wife of forty-eight year old Prudencio Sican Gonzalez, arrived at this house in an isolated area of Ridge Lagoon Estate just off the Boom/Hattieville Road. The bungalow house is where Gonzalez, a caretaker of the Bacab Eco Park, lived for the past five years and it was inside the comfort of his home that he would be killed.  The body of the Guatemalan national, who had residency in Belize, was discovered by a cousin with whom he worked.

Santos Lopez Gonzalez

Santos Lopez Gonzalez, Cousin of Murder Victim (Translated)

“Last night I was called and told that he was injured. I came but he wasn’t; he was in fact dead. He was shot once above the left eye right here and he was on the ground inside the house. I was the first person to find his body. The door was open; the lights were on in the house as well as the TV. Several bottles of beer were also there that it looks like he was drinking.”

Residents in the area say that a single blast was heard, but Gonzalez was not a troublemaker and had no known enemies. He was murdered by a single shot that caught him right above the right eye.

Edward Broaster

Sr. Supt. Edward Broaster, Rural Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“Prudencio Gonzalez, forty-eight years; he is the handyman of Bacab on the Boom Road where around nine o’clock a shot was heard. Investigation was carried out by individuals on the ground, around the area, to try and ascertain where the shot came from, but they did not discover Mister Gonzalez until about eleven that night where he had one gunshot wound over the right eye. Investigation into that matter is being conducted as we speak.”

So who would want the caretaker dead? Family and friends are still puzzled and are looking for answers.

Roberto Sagastume

Roberto Sagastume, Former Coworker of Murder Victim (Translated)

“I was surprised this morning when they told me that he was killed. I don’t know why. He was a good person; he had no problems. We were friends. Even when we are working, we would talk about our problems, but he never had problems. I passed by last night on my motorcycle and I didn’t see anything or didn’t think that anything would have happened. The cousin called me this morning while I was on my way to work and told me that they killed him. We have no idea who could have killed him. We don’t even know the motive.”

Santos Lopez Gonzalez (Translated)

“I don’t know what happen. He never had problems with people. He would either be at mile thirteen where there is the supermarket or Boom Cutoff. Those are the only two places that he would usually be, but never thought something like this would happen to him. I’m not sure if he was robbed because when they came and investigate, we were not told. So we don’t know. What I saw was that he was in his underwear because it was already sleeping time. It was around ten-eighteen p.m. that I was notified.  From we were young we were close as family. And now he has left me and I don’t know. He was very amiable and wasn’t someone that got into arguments with people. And if someone wanted to fight, he would walk away.”

No expended shells or slugs were recovered from the scene. Duane Moody for News Five.