Orange Walk youth murdered in front of friends

A sixteen year old youth is dead after he was stabbed in front of several friends in Orange Walk Town on Thursday evening. The fatal stabbing place while a group of friends were hanging out. This latest killing is the second in that municipality in as many weeks. Marion Ali has the story in the following report.

Marion Ali, Reporting
While Orange Walk police try to piece together what could have triggered a teenager to stab a fellow youth to death, the victim’s family at a loss.

Reports are that around six-ten on Thursday evening, sixteen year old Daniel Soto was sitting on a bench in front of a friend’s house on Mangal Street in Orange Walk Town when his attacker, apparently under the influence of alcohol, showed up and charged at him with a knife. But the stabbing was preceded by another incident.

Marion Ali
“Friends of the two teens say they got embroiled in a fist fight here on Savannah Street, just around the corner from Mangal Street, where Soto was fatally wounded. Soto, they say, picked up a rock to defend himself. Upset by this, the other youth left, vowing to turn. He did so minutes later with the murder weapon… a five inch blade knife.”

According to Deputy Officer Commanding the Orange Walk Police Station, Inspector Selvin Tillett, what triggered the initial fight and later led to the stabbing seems at this point to be a trivial matter.

Inspector Selvin Tillett, Deputy O.C., Orange Walk
“It’s just a minor bump, they bumped into one another and that started the fight. They were walking or riding bicycle and they just bumped into one another and that started the fight.”

Marion Ali
“But weren’t they friends?”

Insp. Selvin Tillett
“I don’t know. They live in the same neighborhood but I don’t know if they were friends or not.”

Soto’s mother, Monica Sosa told News Five that she had just left a funeral service when a neighbour went to tell her that her youngest son had been killed.

Monica Sosa, Mother of Deceased
“He said like this, he said it’s your son, come on we need to go to the hospital. That’s what I know. When we went to the hospital, we were approaching the hospital and they were already coming out of emergency room to go to the surgery room. They were rushing him and I asked the doctor please I had to see my son. And they didn’t want me to see him. And I understood afterwards why they didn’t let me see him because there was just a little time.”

But there was not enough time because Soto died while receiving treatment around eight-thirty that same night, a little over two hours after he had been stabbed. Sosa says her son spent most of Thursday at home and was in a jovial mood.

Monica Sosa
“I was right there and he was here. He was laying down and we were watching a program.”

Marion Ali
“Yesterday?”

Monica Sosa
“Yesterday, we were watching the twelve-thirty news and everything was fine. Then I called him to the table to come and eat but he fall asleep. So my husband got his lunch ready cause he goes to Belize City; he’s working at night. And then he was going and he said bye and I got ready and I went to the funeral. That was almost five o’clock. That was the last time. I just went out and I said bye, I’m going. We didn’t get to talk.”

Orange Walk police have a knife they believe was the murder weapon. It was found in a yard not far from where the stabbing occurred. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.

Police have also detained a number of persons they believe can lead them to their suspect, nineteen year old Eric Gonzalez from the same area where Soto lived. Just prior to his death, young Soto was employed at Lauren’s Duty Free in Belize City and his family had been hoping to get him enrolled in a skills training course.