Rumour of killers’ capture in Mexico called false

The rumour mill was in high gear today after reports emerged that Belize’s two most wanted men: Patrick Robateau and Leslie Pipersburg, had been caught by Mexican police in Chetumal and handed over to the Belize Police Department. That rumour, however, has proven false. The Police Department went on record today denying that the killers had been caught, but police sources have confirmed to News 5 that a team of detectives were dispatched to the Mexican border to investigate a tip that the men had been sighted in the area. But whether the pair of fugitives were hiding out in Chetumal is uncertain as tonight the Belize Police Department have been unable to pinpoint their whereabouts, let alone bring them in.

One week ago today, Belizeans woke up to the horrifying news that Pipersburg and Robateau, then employees of Bowen and Bowen, had robbed the company’s distribution offices on Slaughterhouse Road, shot three security guards, killing two of them. The robbers turned killers would then get into a shootout with police and later, murder a couple sitting in a car in the University Heights area of Belize City. The deadly duo has been on the run ever since the attack and are considered armed and extremely dangerous. A reward of twelve thousand dollars has been offered for the apprehension of the two men and a hotline has been established for tips. This week, K.B.H. Security Limited, the employers of the two murdered security guards, has retracted an initial offer of ten thousand dollars to the Police Department, prosecutors and any witnesses who helped convict the murderers. The company realised that the offer could be counterproductive to any successful prosecution.