Maya Leaders Say Work is Not Done in San Jose Double Murder

Cristina Coc

San Jose, Toledo residents continue to puzzle over the horrific discovery of two sisters hacked to death outside the village after attending a church service and visiting a family member. Bella Vista resident Wilmer Escobar has been charged with the gruesome double murder, which prompted the usually peaceful Maya to rise up in a ‘walk for justice’ a few weeks ago. The Maya Leaders Alliance and Toledo Alcaldes Association say that Escobar’s arrest does not end the pursuit of justice, and the focus now turns to ensuring that justice is served and upheld in the otherwise peaceful community.

Cristina Coc, Spokesperson, MLA/TAA

“Our communities were completely shocked to see the gravity of the crime that was committed against these women. And we continue to reiterate that of utmost importance to us is the safety and the protection of our women and children and our families. Toledo and the Maya communities in particular have enjoyed a tremendous amount of peace within our communities; you don’t hear of these crimes in these communities and that of course is not by accident. Our traditional system of governance has allowed us to continue to create the necessary safeguards for our communities. And with that said, I continue to congratulate the traditional leaders of San Jose village who were very instrumental in helping to bring about the information needed to assist police in making the arrest and we are happy to see that the arrest has been made. We continue to impress upon the Belize Police Department to do a thorough and consistent job in unfolding the evidence that might bring this person to be brought to justice. We know the process can be tedious and a lot of times these crimes continue to be dismissed based on technicalities and we would hate to see that this becomes another case as such. We want to emphasize that we support the Police Department in conducting a thorough investigation, in bringing an ironclad case against this person. We don’t wish to see these kinds of people on the streets, not just in our communities but in the entire Belize. We feel that enough is enough. The crime rate in Belize is out of control, and we want to do our part as a Maya community to ensure that we curb that kind of situation in our communities, starting with our communities in the south.”