Murder in Alta Vista; Fidel Bardalez is Beaten, Chopped to Death

Fidel Bardalez

Fidel Bardalez suffered a horrible death at the hands of his murderer.  He was beaten and chopped to death multiple times and his body left along the Hummingbird Highway.  The Alta Vista resident left his home in the village on Friday night to hang out with friends; hours later, his body was found. His family says his death was foretold because before leaving his house, he was being overly kind. News Five’s Hipolito Novelo has the following report.

Hipolito Novelo, Reporting

Thirty-six-year-old Fidel Edilberto Bardalez left his home in Alta Vista Village, Stann Creek at around seven o’clock on Friday night. On Saturday morning, his body was found along the Hummingbird Highway, between miles fifteen and sixteen. He has been brutally murdered- beaten and chopped to death.

Voice of: Olga Bardalez, Sister of Deceased

“Accordingly he was found with chop wounds to the head, to the face. We found his tooth on the road, pieces of flesh and hair on the roadside. Accordingly, from what we saw the next morning, the attacker met him on the right-hand side of the road. He looked like he was running from his attacker towards the other side of the road where his body was found.”

Bardalez was attacked and killed in front of the Templo Evangelico church. According to his sister, Olga Bardalez, his body was discovered at around three o’clock. That is when he received the dreadful called. Bardalez was last seen ‘socializing’ at this residence with some ‘friends’ in the village before being found murdered.

Voice of: Olga Bardalez

“They went for a drink accordingly. The guy, his friend left.  He stayed hanging out, drinking with other friends that he would usually drink. The guy left about after ten and he reached his home at around ten-fifteen. At that time he stayed with the rest of this friends drinking. So we don’t know at what time the incident happened.  He just went to the bar, bought a drink and then he headed to a friend’s house and that is where he was drinking with other guys.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Did Mr, Bardalez tell you that he had issues with anyone? Beef or had received threats from anyone?”

Voice of: Olga Bardalez

“Well, he would usually go drink and hang out, in Steadfast and Alta Vista, and nothing that they would have said to us that someone had threatened him.”

But something was bothering Bardalez. He left his home with a machete for protection, as he would normally do given the remoteness of the area and the dangers that lurk.  But hours before his death, Bardalez seemed pleasantly odd.

Voice of: Olga Bardalez

“That night before he left he was such a sweet guy to myself and my niece. He was so sweet, like have you already eaten? Do you need coffee? We have everything here. He came out back to the kitchen. When he came back he asked the same questions over and over. It was surprising to us that something was really changing. I don’t know if he felt his death already. But he was a sweet guy before he left at seven.”

Hipolito Novelo

“You were telling me that before he was sharpening his machete.”

Voice of: Olga Bardalez

“Yes like he usually does when he comes out. That is what he did but he left, he was so sweet and cool that day.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Was his machete found? Did he leave with his machete?”

Voice of: Olga Bardalez

“No, that was left at his friend’s house at the roadside because it is there at the moment.”

Hipolito Novelo

“He would carry it as protection?”

Voice of: Olga Bardalez

“He carries it for protection every day because we live a long distance away from the road.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Who would want to kill him?”

Voice of: Olga Bardalez

“That is what we want to know at this point. It is not actually who. But why they killed him the way they killed him because to us he had ups and downs with his friends but not to the extreme that something like this to happen anytime.   I wouldn’t say that he was a sweet guy like how people would say, no. He had his high tempered and ups and downs. He was not all that but to say that we would have expected something like that, no. We are still in shock.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.