Sittee River Quartet Arraigned for Murder, Following Hopkins Day Mayhem

This afternoon around two-thirty p.m., four suspects were paraded to the magistrate’s court in Dangriga by armed police and B.D.F. officers.  Prior to their arraignment, they were being held in police custody after being apprehended along the Southern Highway near Silk Grass Village on Monday evening.  It is alleged that the men are responsible for carrying out a deadly attack inside a crowded establishment in Hopkins Village on Sunday morning.  After several hours of putting together the list of charges against them, the Sittee River Four was read two counts each of murder.  Their arraignment is the beginning of a lengthy legal process to determine their guilt in a court of law.  News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

Four men, including Canadian national John Roy Smith, Brian Andrews, Kenyon Moore and Sherwin Moore were taken before the magistrates court in Dangriga this afternoon where they were each charged with two counts of murder.  The allegation is that they all participated in a deadly mass shooting inside Wabinaha Nightclub on Sunday morning in Hopkins Village.  Interestingly, Smith’s initial charge of abetment to commit murder was withdrawn by the police prosecutor.  In its place are two counts of murder, as it is being put forward that he acted in joint enterprise with Andrews and his accomplices.

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“If it is that you and another person embark to go and commit a crime with a common purpose, even if it is that you remain as a look out person, you can be captured as a part of that enterprise in order to commit the crime.  So, we only need to confirm if in fact he went to the location with these young men.  And, at that particular time they went to commit the crime while he awaited them to get out of the area.  That falls within the scope of participation.”

Shortly before two p.m., a second vehicle was being impounded at the Dangriga Police Station.  It is believed that this was one of two vehicles used by the suspects to flee the scene of the shooting.  According to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, Andrews and the Moores were being watched closely by the police department.

Chester Williams

“Yes, they had been under the radar of police.  I am not going to go into details for what.  But they have been under police radar.  Let me say that in respect to that investigation, today we were able to recover the other escape vehicle that belongs to one of the men.  It was recovered in a farm within the Stann Creek District.  Police have taken custody of the vehicle.  We also received directive from the D.P.P. representative in the south to proceed with murder charges against the four individuals that would also include the Canadian man.”

Reporter

“How about the weapons?”

Chester Williams

“We are still searching.  Officers are still on the farm.  We believe that the weapons might have been concealed somewhere on the farm.  So, we are searching the farm at this time to see if we will be able to recover the weapons.”

It is expected that additional charges will be brought against the Sittee River quartet in respect of the other eight persons who were wounded during the armed attack on Wabinaha Nightclub.  They have been remanded to the Belize Central Prison until November ninth when they are expected to return to court.  The four accused men appeared unrepresented this afternoon. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.