Year’s fourth murder is city stabbing
It was looking like another unusually quiet weekend in Belize City, but in the wee hours of this morning the deadly thrust of a knife added one more digit to the nation’s murder tally…and left a grieving family to ask why. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods reports.
Andrea Arnold, Girlfriend of the Deceased
“I tell Tonios leave him right deh and if he mi leave ah right deh he mi wah still live.” (Crying)
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Twenty-one year old Andrea Arnold says her boyfriend, twenty-six year old Antonio Zelaya, was killed because he tried to ease tensions following a fight that erupted between his friend Rene Alvarado and two unidentified Hispanic men early this morning as both she and Zelaya walked Alvarado home.
Andrea Arnold
“We were going home hanging out, me and him and Rene, that’s his friend weh he always hang out with. On Sundays we always hang out or drink something you know, relax fi we selves. He just come from game the night, dah wah long story, because it just mix up and I noh know how he get killed yet, and dah right in front ah me.”
Jacqueline Woods
“The police were saying that on the way to the friend’s home, the friend got into an argument with a couple of guys. And it was these same guys who attacked Antonio.”
Andrea Arnold
“Yes. Antonio was ahead of both of us because dah he always lead Rene home all the time. “Let’s go Rene, let’s go Rene” and Rene stand up right at the lane, and I wait cause I tired ah ker Rene home. Dah all the time he ker a home right, and I stand up at the corner ah the lane and tell Tonio let’s go and Rene, the guys they the pass same time. And weh he the stagger weh he drunk, he bounce against this guy right, and he seh something bout pendejo something, cause I noh know weh he di say. And the guy answer back and he look like he noh like that and he gone after the bwai and Tonios mek they…cause they mi the argue and thing and Tonios just push the guy and tell them goh about their business. After that, Rene start to follow the guy until the reach pan Tigris Street and I guess the guys beat up Rene right round deh and Tonios start ah pushed them away.”
Arnold says after they dropped Alvarado and were returning home they saw the pair with a third man. Arnold says they were in front of the St. John’s Credit Union parking lot on Basra Street when Zelaya walked up to the men to try and talk to them. But one of the trio pulled out a knife and began to stab him.
Andrea Arnold
“I tell Tonios, that dah noh the guys them weh unu just have something with just now? And he said yes, and while I the haul his hand di seh come over yah, cause people the come…you know when they got bike like that they must have something why they the come back this direction. And I tell he…he gone ova deh and tell them that he noh want dehn the deal with Rene, he noh want them the mess with Rene because Rene can’t fight or Rene can’t… so mek they behave themselves. After that, the guy just show he…he lift up his shirt and he had a cream colour knife or a halfway machete or whatever because it got a nice size. And he just juk Tonios inna ih side and Tonio hold ih side…and I guess that cramp him pan the first stab and he deh like this and they stab ah again inna his chest and dah right deh he drop.”
Zelaya died in Arnold’s arms. The assailants then ran off leaving their bicycles behind. The police say they still have no one in custody, but are following up on a number of leads. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
The death of Zelaya is the fourth murder recorded in Belize for 2003.
