Grieving Hamilton Family Implores Police to Speed Up Investigation into Triple Arson Murder
The Hamilton family of Aloe Vera Street, Belize City, continues to look for answers four months after a senseless act of arson of their house. They lost not one, but three children, in the fire in October of last year. Today the relatives of the victims told News Five’s Duane Moody that the investigation is not moving.
Duane Moody, Reporting
This Saturday will make four months since the tragic arson on Aloe Vera Street on south side Belize City that claimed the life of three innocent children. Eleven-year-old Aaron Gabourel died instantly in an inferno that was set by someone on the house where he slept back on October fourth. Also inside the house at the time were his two cousins, eight-year-old Empress Hamilton and four-year-old Ian Sambula, who were critically burned to a hundred percent of their bodies. Ian died a month later on November tenth while receiving treatment at the Shriner’s Hospital in Texas and his sister six days after. The triple murder left the country in shock as the act against the children was heartless and cold.
Melissa Hamilton
Melissa Hamilton, Mother of Ian Sambula & Empress Hamilton
“My baby dehn died two months now. Every day I still have to wake up ina di same house. This morning, my two-year-old daughter look pan me and say mommy, where Ian and Empress deh and I have to look pan ahn and tell ahn they dead. It’s like they don’t wanna give us any justice because we poor. We noh have the money fi like fi fight fi get the justice weh we want. I want dehn know that I want justice; I can’t lef my baby dehn death fi go like that, Duane. My baby, dehn chance we…they run in the house and throw gas on we and like dehn want left it so. [It’s] like dehn noh believe weh we di tell dehn and I woulda never tell lie. I woulda never hurt my baby dehn. I love my baby dehn with all my heart.”
Caroline Hamilton
Caroline Hamilton, Mother of Aaron Gabourel
“It was a terror to my heart when my baby get burn ina that house to death. And four months that my son passed away and the police they are not doing their investigation right cause so much things we get information from so much people weh di happen…we call in and tell fi we investigator weh di go on, he say he need two medical paper from my sister Melissa. So that two medical paper could bring back my son life? No!”
Some three weeks after the incident, investigators had detained several persons for questioning. The investigation into the triple murder of the children was well underway.
Chester Williams
ACP Chester Williams, Regional Commander, Eastern Division South [October 26th, 2016]
“Currently, the information is that we have been receiving has been conflicting. We had detained two individuals in respect of that matter. We subsequently had to release them because of lack of evidence to be able to charge. What we are doing, we are currently awaiting the report from the fire expert, those persons within the fire department who conduct fire investigation to ascertain the cause of fire. We know initially they had said to us and there was an interview given to us by one of them that there was no sign of any flammable chemical used. But since then we have came across certain things which we believe do have flammable chemicals on it. We have sent those to the lab and we are awaiting a report from the lab to tell us what type of chemical or fire accelerant is on those piece of clothing that we had submitted. I know that the fire department has been involved as well to help us to be able to ascertain the true cause of the fire because we want when we put something before the court; we have the evidence to back it up.
But has the case gone cold? The family is still looking for answers because no one has been held accountable for the murders and, for them; the police don’t seem to be investigating the matter.
Melissa Hamilton
“I asked Mister Chester Williams if he already started the investigation or if the fire engine place already gave them any information. So they told us that they are waiting on some clothes that my son had on that gas went on that night that they sent to Miami to come back into Belize. I called them the other day and they told me that it still didn’t come in and from then they didn’t call us, give us no information if they have anyone; nothing. I di beg them to please, please give we some closure to our heart because we are still hurt. We still hurt. We noh get over this. How could we ever get over this, Duane? How could we ever? Then deh dah wi pikney.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
