Jaime Marin is Charged for Deadly Attack on His Cousins

Jaime Marin

This morning, Jaime Marin, was escorted to court for arraignment for the murder of his cousin, Isaac Marin and a slew of other charges. Seventeen-year-old Isaac was stabbed on Tuesday night inside his home at Caye Caulker and perished soon after while receiving treatment at the clinic. His brother, Carlos, also came under attack from Jaime, and remains hospitalized at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Jamie is well-known on the island; he suffers from mental health issues. The trio were all at the house when Jaime became violent and attacked the siblings; his state of his mind is under evaluation. Here is News Five’s Isani Cayetano.

Isaac Marin

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

Twenty-eight-year-old Jaime Marin, accused of fatally stabbing his cousin and injuring several others on Monday night in Caye Caulker Village, was arraigned today before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford.  The sanity of the islander at the time of the deadly attack has been called to question, as it is known that Marin has a history of mental illness.  Nonetheless, he appeared before the court with his faculties seemingly intact as he was read a raft of charges stemming from the incident.

Hurl Hamilton, Defense Attorney

“He has been arraigned on four charges.  One count of murder, one count of attempted murder, one count of dangerous harm and one count of use of deadly means of harm.”

Hurl Hamilton

Isani Cayetano

“This is resulting from an altercation in which he was attacked or was he the aggressor?”

Hurl Hamilton

“I haven’t gotten full instructions as yet, but there was an altercation, there was an incident, a violent incident in Caye Caulker involving the defendant and two other individuals.  But as I say, to comment further on the matter, I wouldn’t be able to comment further on the matter.”

Isani Cayetano

“What about the issue of his mental soundness?  I know that that came up in court insofar as where he would be housed while he’s on detention.”

Hurl Hamilton

“Right, the issue of his mental capability came up and while there is nothing concrete from a medical practitioner, as you are aware the police are treating the matter as a mental issue.”

According to police, Marin, who is unemployed, reportedly got into a scuffle with his cousins before producing a knife and viciously attacking them.  During the incident, seventeen-year-old Isaac Marin was fatally injured, while his older sibling Carlos was also wounded.

Hilberto Romero

Sr. Supt. Hilberto Romero, Deputy Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch

“There was some incident that he had with his family members and as a result of that he took out the knife and inflicted the stab wounds to these two persons.”

Isani Cayetano

“Mr. Marin, himself, also got injured during that altercation.  Any move to bring charges against the other persons, where does the department stand on that?”

Sr. Supt. Hilberto Romero

“He received minor injuries and he was issued medico-legal forms and that matter is a part of the file.”

While the police describe Marin’s injuries as superficial, defense attorney Hurl Hamilton requested that his client be housed separately while on remand at the Belize Central Prison, pending a psychiatric evaluation, as well as medical treatment. That request was denied.

Hurl Hamilton

“I have been instructed by the father of the defendant that he indeed is a mentally challenged individual.  So the matter, what the defense wanted was for him to be housed in an alternative location other than Kolbe Foundation.  Unfortunately, regrettably, there isn’t such a place.  At Kolbe Foundation, I am aware that there is a psychiatrist who would come in and evaluate patients, they are housed separately, but we were of the opinion that perhaps if there was an alternative to Kolbe it would have served better for him to be at that location.”

Jaime Marin has been remanded to custody until January 2019.

Hurl Hamilton

“The matter comes back on for hearing on January eighth, that will be in San Pedro and we’ll see where we go from there.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.