Two Men Arraigned for San Pedro Murder; Mother of Delson Paguada Says He’s Innocent
Swift police action led to the arrest of two fishermen of the San Mateo area of San Pedro, in the wake of the killing. They are twenty-four-year-old Delson Paguada, and thirty-three-year-old Lucio Salazar. The duo was brought off the island in the absence of a magistrate in that jurisdiction and they were escorted to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court, where they appeared unrepresented before Magistrate Dennison Mannan at two this afternoon. Paguada and Salazar were charged jointly with Bowens’ murder. Magistrate Mannan explained that due to the nature of the offense, no plea would be taken due to the nature of the offense. They were denied bail and were remanded to the Belize Central Prison until March third. But while they are on pretrial detention, Paguada’s mother, Amancia Martinez turned to the media to say that the police have the wrong man and explained why her son could not have committed the crime.
Voice of: Amancia Martinez
Voice of: Amancia Martinez, Mother of Delson Paguada
“We were at home like about nine, nine-fifteen, nine-thirty, so I took my phone, I went on the social media when I saw one of my friends posting on a shooting in the centre of town – Central Park. So I turn back, I tell my son, Delson Paguada, I said “Delson, this young boy just post that they have gunshot da town.” My son replied back to me, Ih seh, “Mommy, maybe some drunken man di spend Christmas and ih di get crazy.” Soh anyway, that was it. Less than ten minutes, I look, I see the police truck run to my house and pick up two of my sons out of their beds and handcuff them and I seh, “Weh unu wa do with my kids?”
Marion Ali
“Ok, so you say you were talking to Delson. He was where in the house?”
Voice of: Amancia Martinez
“In his bed in my house. So I asked them what is that. They said there is shooting and we’re just going to take them to secure them at the police station. I seh “but secure them for what?” “Because there is a lot of gunshots in town.” So that was it. I see this as a personal thing against my kids because anything that happens on the island – sometimes I am sleeping. Boom, boom, boom! Police are knocking on the door. I live like almost half an hour from the island – from downtown. Police will – ooh, one o’clock, two o’clock knock on my door, break my door. “Where’s Delson? Where’s Tionne?” I seh “what?” They will wake me up.”
Marion Ali
“And where are they?”
Voice of Amancia Martinez
“Right home. You know, so I don’t know what to do, you know. I’m tired of that, tired!”
Marion Ali
“You’re saying they’re innocent of all three charges.”
Voice of: Amancia Martinez
“Innocent of all three charges. Innocent.”
Marion Ali
“So they are before the courts for a previous murder?”
Voice of: Amancia Martinez
“Yes.”
Marion Ali
“And that is why they’re on curfew?”
Voice of: Amancia Martinez
“On curfew and on bail, both of them.”
