Anthony Bennett to Court for Erbin Garrido Murder

Anthony Bennett

Thirty-seven-year-old Anthony Bennett is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after being arraigned for murder earlier today.  The Mahogany Street resident is accused of fatally shooting Erbin Garrido inside his home in the Gungulung area of Belize City on Tuesday night.  Quick police work led to the apprehension of their suspect on Wednesday.  While it is believed that Garido’s murder may have been the result of a feud over the sale of marijuana, police would not confirm that theory.  After surrendering himself to police in the presence of Senior Counsel Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley, Bennett appeared before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford where he was indicted on a single charge of murder.  Inspector Wilfredo Ferrufino provided additional details on the murder, as well as the subsequent arrest.

Wilfredo Ferrufino

Insp. Wilfredo Ferrufino, C.I.B., Belize City

“On the twenty-ninth of May, this would be on Tuesday, police received information of shots being fired in the CET Site area of Belize City.  Police responded to a residence there in the area and discovered a male individual [laying] motionless in a building.  He was identified to be that of Erbin Enrique Garrido, a thirty-year-old resident of the same address.  He was motionless and appeared lifeless at the scene.  From the examination by police on the scene, he had one gunshot wound to the left side of his chest.  He was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead on arrival.  What police have discovered as a result of the investigation is that Mr. Garrido was at home around eight p.m. when someone, a male person approached his residence and fired a single gunshot which inflicted the fatal injury on him.  The investigation resulted in the detention of one Anthony Bennett, a thirty-seven-year-old of a Mahogany Street address and he has been charged for murder.  He was charged yesterday evening, sometime after five p.m. for the murder of Mr. Garrido.”

Reporter

“Sir, can you speak to a motive for this particular homicide and also can you clarify if the fatal shot was fired from inside the residence or from outside of the residence?”

Insp. Wilfredo Ferrufino

“The motive at this time is not certain.  I don’t have any confirmation of motive and I wouldn’t want to go into the details in regards to that case.

Reporter

“Sir, I know from people in the neighborhood that, or I have heard from those in the neighborhood that Mr. Garrido may have been a peddler of drugs, of marijuana specifically.  Might this have been the reason for what happened?”

Insp. Wilfredo Ferrufino

“I don’t want to go into the motive or do any speculation at this point.  I don’t have any details in regards to that so I don’t want to comment on it.”

Bennett appeared before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford and was represented   by Attorney, Dickie Bradley. He returns to court on August seventeenth, 2018.