What Killed Rudolph Kelly?

Accident or murder? Police say it leans toward the former for now in the case of Rudolph Kelly, a landlord of Mile Eight on the George Price Highway who sustained two cut wounds and crashed while headed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for treatment on Tuesday night. Today Crime Investigation Branch chief Alejandro Cowo indicated that Kelly had spoken to police officers at a checkpoint further up on Central American Boulevard before the crash and that police had been called to a reported disturbance in the George Street area but found nothing amiss. Now a post-mortem examination will help clear up what happened in the last hours of Kelly’s life.

Alejandro Cowo

ASP Alejandro Cowo, O.C. CIB, Eastern Division

“What we know is that he had just left from Eight Miles and came back to Belize City, and we cannot ascertain how he got that injury. At the moment, the family members have been interviewed, but there is little that we can share in regard to that. All we know is that he was passing by a police checkpoint, the one by Central American Boulevard, where he informed the police that he had received an injury and he was in a hurry to reach the hospital. Just reaching at the roundabout, he lost control and crashed into the lamppost. There, the B.E.R.T. personnel rendered him assistance and he was taken to the hospital, where once he was receiving treatment he succumbed to his injuries.”

Reporter

“Sir, the medical examiners are saying that these were cut wounds and not stab wounds, definitively?”

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“As I mentioned it appears to be stab wounds; we cannot be sure if it is stab wound or cut wound. We have to wait until the doctor does the post-mortem then we’ll get the complete results.”

Reporter

“Now sir, was he in any domestic dispute or social dispute that led to his injuries – obviously someone had to stab him.”

ASP Alejandro Cowo

“No, we have no indication that he had any dispute with his wife or any other persons, so it is something that we are still looking at as to how he received the injuries and where he received the injuries. What we know [is that] police were called earlier of an incident in the George Street area, but police went and checked that area and there was no such incident in respect of a chopping incident. Shortly after police were called to the roundabout and that is where they met Mr. Kelly with the injuries.”