San Pedrano brutally attacked; five charged

It was as brutal a murder as the island town of San Pedro has ever seen: sixty-three year old Justo Jairo Perez was found bludgeoned to death around four Saturday morning. Robbery appears to have been the motive as Perez was discovered with his hands and feet tied together and his mouth taped shut. His head suffered seven deep gashes, apparently made by a blunt instrument. The object behind his assailant’s wrath was a safe kept in Perez’s house that belonged to his neighbours and family members, the owners of Elvis Kitchen, one of San Pedro’s most popular restaurants. It is believed that Perez had left his home a short time earlier on his way to check his lobster traps. However, he apparently forgot something and when he returned home to collect it, his attacker or attackers had already entered the house and he was tied up. The key was found still in the door. It is speculated that whoever wanted to open the safe was unable to and Perez was beaten in order to give up the combination…a combination that he apparently never knew.

Today police arrested twenty-seven year old Francis Eiley and twenty-four year old Lincoln Polonio, both of San Pedro, along with twenty-seven year old Ernest Savery and twenty year old Frank Vasquez, both of Belize City, and charged them with murder. Savery and twenty-five year old Kevin Gonzalez Junior, of San Pedro Town, were also charged with conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit burglary. Gonzalez is the grandnephew of the murder victim. The men appeared before Magistrate Margaret McKenzie and were remanded to Hattieville Prison until November twelfth. Senior Counsel B.Q. Pitts is representing Eiley, Savery and Gonzalez. He argued for bail for Gonzalez on the conspiracy charge, but Magistrate McKenzie denied the request. Vasquez and Polonio appeared in court undefended. Meanwhile, the prosecution is to disclose all the evidence it has against the five men by November twenty-fifth.