3 Murders in Santa Cruz, Stann Creek & Cristo Rey, Cayo

Joseph Myvette

Aside from the five murders in Belize City, there were two others in Santa Cruz, Stann Creek and one in Cristo Rey, Cayo District. In the south, Guatemalan farmer Roberto De Leon was robbed and beaten to death after delivering oranges at the factory in Pomona. And then this morning, also in Santa Cruz, Austin Zavala was stabbed once to the chest inside a bar in the village. Soon after he succumbed to the injuries. But it was an altercation in Cristo Rey, Cayo that claimed the life of sixteen year old Rosendo Pop, a Guatemalan national who was also stabbed to the chest by Victor Galeano.  Joseph Myvette of the Police Department told the media more about the murders in the districts.

Joseph Myvette, Head CIB, Police Department

“Roberto De Leon, fifty-five year old farmer was found motionless outside his vehicle on an unnamed street just behind the football field. Initial police investigation reveals that Mister De Leon had left his home sometime around four p.m., en route to the orange factory to deliver oranges in Pomona. Information also shows that Mister De Leon departed the Pomona factory sometime around nine-forty p.m. and sometime around one-twenty-five a.m. on Saturday the twenty-fifth of March, 2017, police responded to the area of the football field where Mister De Leon was found motionless outside his truck with apparent facial injuries. Police have detained seven persons pending this investigation. The second murder in the same sequence occurred a Cristo Rey Village, in the Cayo District. Sometime around six-thirty p.m. on Saturday, the twenty-fifth of March, police responded to an incident in Cristo Rey Village where one Rosendo Pop, sixteen year old Guatemalan, unemployed, was seen with one single stab wound to the left side of his chest. Initial police investigation reveal that the deceased along with a group of persons was engaged in an altercation with Victor Galeano. As a consequence the deceased is alleged to have punched Galeano and Galeano responded by stabbing the deceased. Galeano is in police custody pending investigation. The third murder is that of Austin Zavala, twenty-three year old Belizean of Santa Cruz Village, Stann Creek District. Sometime around two this morning, police responded to a bar in the village of Santa Cruz where the lifeless body of Austin Zavala was seen with one single stab wound to the left side of his chest. Initial investigation reveals that Zavala obviously had a confrontation with another person, who is now in police custody. Police investigation into this matter also continues.”