Lovers’ Tragic End: Husband Turned on Wife, then Himself

Hermelinda Pinks & Jason Emmanuel

Early on Saturday morning, it is believed that a well-known Belize City resident took the life of his wife and then turned his licensed firearm on himself. The news of the bloody loss of life has shocked the family of Coastguard Supervisor, Hermelinda Pinks, a purported victim of domestic abuse.   Exactly what transpired inside their house on Rose Street in Belize City is still being pieced together, but there is evidence to suggest that Pinks was murdered at least twelve hours before her body was found on her bed inside their apartment. Pinks had a gunshot wound to the left side of her head, while her husband, GST collector Jason Emmanuel, who was also found dead inside their house, had a gunshot wound to the right side of his head. It was Pinks’ father who made the gruesome discovery when she did not respond to the family’s calls.  The couple was married for eight years, had separated and reunited but something went terribly wrong on Saturday when Emmanuel returned home after his vehicle experienced a tire blow-out on the Phillip Goldson Highway near Manatee Lookout. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

The discomfort of an apparently strained relationship between a husband and wife has ended in tragedy; Jason Emmanuel murdering his wife, before turning the weapon on himself in an act of suicide.  The bloody scene inside the couple’s bedroom was discovered by a concerned father who was simply checking on the wellbeing of forty-six-year-old Hermelinda Pinks several hours after she had failed to return phone calls and text messages left by her worried siblings.  Despite losing contact with her on Saturday morning, family members were not prepared for what they happened upon later that day at Linda and Jason’s Rose Lane apartment.

Voice of: Patrick Meighan, Brother of Hermelinda Pinks

“Saturday when I started to find out that something was starting to go wrong, my other sister she called me and asked me if I saw her around or if I saw her and her husband in the city or anything.  I said no.  They noticed that she didn’t call during the normal time that she would call because it is something that on Saturday, when it comes around lunch time they would contact one another and find out what would be for lunch for the day.  Now with that time passing, she didn’t text, didn’t call, then they started to, you know, started to wonder well why she’s not calling, why she’s not answering her phone.”

Unbeknownst to them, their eldest sister had been shot and killed several hours earlier, while seemingly asleep in bed.

Alejandro Cowo

ASP Alejandro Cowo, C.I.B., Belize City Police

“I know that from the scene, the blood that was on the scene indicated to us that it had happened at least maybe twelve hours before the body was found.” 

When she did not respond, they turned their attention to Jason.  The well-known tax collector wasn’t picking up his phone either.

Hermelinda Pinks

Voice of: Patrick Meighan

“So they continued calling, continued to text and didn’t get any reply.  [They] called her husband’s phone and didn’t get any reply either.  So I guess when they really started to feel a way about she not answering, getting in contact, that’s when they went to the house and walked around, called her name, until they pried the window open and saw what was the seen in the bedroom.”

Outside of the lower flat of the two-storey building, a sanguinary mattress is propped against the veranda.  On the evening of the discovery, Emmanuel’s lifeless body was found on the ground not far from where his wife lay dead.  He had shot himself once to the right side of the head.

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“They observed the motionless body of a female person lying face up on a bed and also the motionless body of a male person lying on the floor face up.  The female was identified as that of Hermelinda Pinks-Emmanuel and the male person was identified as Jason Emmanuel.  Both of them had apparent gunshot wounds to the right… Misss Pinks to the left side of the temple and Mr. Emmanuel to the right side of the temple.  Police processed the scene there where they recovered a firearm beside Mr. Emmanuel’s body and likewise they found two expended shells and several ammunition on the bed and inside of the magazine.”

Since tying the knot on April seventeenth, 2010, the couple has had a stormy marriage.  That tumultuous relationship, according to another brother, resulted in domestic violence and separation.  In an inboxed message to News Five following the tragic incident, a grieving brother, is quoted as saying, their relationship began to come apart when she suspected he was not being faithful, he denied it and said that he wasn’t, but it was clear to her.

Isani Cayetano

“Can you share with us, to the best of your knowledge, the kind of relationship your sister had with Jason Emmanuel?”

Voice of: Patrick Meighan

“Well when it comes to her, she was all in.  She was a dedicated person, that’s the type of woman she is.  She puts herself to something, that’s what she’s gonna do.  She wasn’t the type to be all over the place or anything like that, she has a family, she’s with her family, she’s dedicated to her family.”

Isani Cayetano

“Were there, to your knowledge, any tough times between the two of them?  Anything that would have led to this kind of a tragedy happening.”

Voice of: Patrick Meighan

“Well in every relationship there will be times that, you know, an argument may happen or something like that.  But we, as a family, didn’t see any physical abuse.  She never comes around with any marks or scratches or any bruises like that.  So as far as I know, it can be verbal abuse or something like that.”

Investigators say that there are no reports of physical abuse filed at the Domestic Violence Unit involving the pair; this, notwithstanding the rocky union they shared.

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“Both parties of the family members have declined to say if they knew if the couple was going, or they were having any domestic dispute within their relationship.  We can confirm that based on our records at the domestic office, [Domestic Violence Unit], there is no report filed by any of the deceased at this moment.”

In the wee early hours of Saturday, Emmanuel was reportedly driving to Belize City when he suffered a blowout on the Phillip Goldson Highway.  His Mitsubishi Endeavor was subsequently towed to the Raccoon Street Precinct long after the incident had transpired.  Prior to learning of this, the family, while looking for Linda, presumed that she may have been out with her husband since his vehicle was not parked at their home.

Voice of: Patrick Meighan

“Normally they would have times that they would get together and go out, but she would never go anywhere without letting anyone from the family know because that’s the way things get done.  We communicate with one another, we let everyone know what’s our whereabouts and whatnot so that there is no concern, just should in case anything happens.”

That degree of accountability to each other, though admirable, is what immediately raised concerns when Linda failed to get in touch with her loved ones.  The issues plaguing her marriage with Jason, though rife with conjecture in the wake of their demise, were known to the family, though little could have been done to change the course of what transpired on Saturday. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.

News Five understands that Jason Emmanuel has had a history of unfortunate events in his life.  He reportedly lost his mother, then a sister to a similar murder/suicide incident some years ago, and a brother who perished in a hit and run incident five years ago.