Excelsior High School Principal, One of Three Persons Murdered Inside Her Home
Alarice Andrewin
A horrifying discovery was made this afternoon at a home on the George Price Highway. The lifeless bodies of three persons, including a high school principal whose absence from work today prompted the very phone call which led to their location, were found inside the isolated residence. On the scene, police were able to confirm that all three victims were shot to death. While the slain educator has been identified as Alarice Andrewin, the names of the other two male casualties have not been released. This is a developing story and News Five’s Isani Cayetano was first on the scene.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
A high school principal is one of three persons found dead inside a residence near mile ten on the George Price Highway this afternoon. Forty-four-year-old Alarice Andrewin, the headmistress at Excelsior High School, failed to report to work today. Her absence from office raised concerns among the faculty and staff.
Javier Castellanos, Chairman, Excelsior High School
“When I reached about 1:30 today at school, I was informed that Ms. Andrewin did not report to work. So they were trying to contact her. Also, myself was trying to contact her during the day, so I went to school and asked them if the principal was at school and they said that she was not in. So I decided to take a step since she would have informed me or informed the school of her absence. So I decided to call Hattieville Police Station to see about the situation since on mile ten George Price Highway.”
When officers responded to the location, they made a ghastly discovery. Inside the concrete bungalow were three bodies, including that of the school administrator. What makes this apparent triple homicide all the more heinous is an incident that preceded the macabre encounter.
Javier Castellanos
Javier Castellanos
“There was a robbery before, a burglary about a month ago and that was my concern, you know that maybe something would have happened. So I called the Hattieville Police Station and they decided to come and check and this is the information I got, the same information that you have.”
Isani Cayetano
“Can you confirm to us if Ms. Andrewin lived here alone or was she here with other persons?”
Javier Castellanos
“She usually comes here, she lives here but sometimes when she has no company she, I mean she usually has company to come up here with her due to the distance and the location where her home is.”
Isani Cayetano
“It is alleged that she is one of three persons who may have been murdered inside the residence. Would you have any idea as to perhaps who the other two persons would be?”
Javier Castellanos
“She had a friend, I believe she had a friend whom she usually comes with when she does not have no company, but I don’t know his name. I know him but I don’t know his name.”
On May ninth, a team of officers was returning from escorting inmates to the Belize Central Prison when they happened upon a burglary in progress. Woman Police Constable Linda Chun, who was recently recognized by the Belize Police Department for her role in apprehending the thieves, describes what happened.
Linda Chun
WPC Linda Chun, Records Clerk, Prosecution Branch [File: May 30th, 2019]
“When he put on the siren for the police van, the guy turned around and looked and then he saw it was police officers and he set down the TV and ran towards a parked vehicle. That’s where we set chase, cause they were about to move, and we intercepted the vehicle and then we apprehend him. We told him to come out cause our co-workers were prepared and that’s where we apprehend the seven persons. At the beginning and we were trying to set chase at them, that came into our mind, but we had firearms with us so it wasn’t that scary at the time. But when we came out because their vehicle was tinted, we didn’t know what was going to happen. But our vehicle had stopped them from moving that far; they couldn’t move.”
Arrested and charged in connection with the incident were twenty-seven-year-old Eric Tillett, thirty-five-year-old Wilfred Garbutt, twenty-four-year-old Kevin Bowden, nineteen-year-old Tyreek Allen and three minors. Police have not been able to determine whether the burglary is, in any way, tied to the murders of the trio. Javier Castellanos, chairman of Excelsior High School, remembers Andrewin for her ambition and determination to turn the image and performance of the school around.
Javier Castellanos
“For the short term that I knew her about six months, she is very active, a young lady that really wanted to work hard to prove herself and also help Excelsior High School to improve and we were on that part there to improve the school situation and the uplifting of the school and she was a very energetic young lady.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
