Leiva brothers turn themselves in to police
It has been almost three months that police have been looking for Thirty Five year old Javier Leiva of Corozal and his twenty eight year old brother Othon of Orange Walk. The Leiva brothers were being sought in connection with the shooting death of Enrique Basto last October in what police say was a drug deal gone sour. Tonight the two fugitives are behind bars after turning themselves in. According to officer in charge of the Corozal police station, Senior Superintendent Crispin Jeffries, he received a telephone call from the Leiva’s attorney, Simeon Sampson, notifying him that they would be surrendering. While Sampson admits bringing in his clients, he told News Five that there was an understanding made late last year between himself and the Corozal police that as soon as he had cleared up other legal matters, he would personally see to it that the Leiva brothers got their day in court ….so he therefore found it disturbing that the police would be calling them wanted men.
Simeon Sampson, Attorney
It was in the month of November, November fourteenth to be precise. I was in Dangriga doing some murder cases when I was invited to Corozal and Orange walk where the families that the Leiva brothers were in trouble. I rushed there but they had now gone to Chetumal where I met them. It was then that they had learnt that somebody had been dead in consequence of some problem that they had with some other friend and they asked me to stand by and defend them.
Why is it then that after meeting you on November fourteenth of last year that they are just surrendering to the police? It is not a question of surrendering as such. I will tell you that they did not want to go to the police station without me by their side. Unfortunately I, my agenda was so tight that I had some court commitments to fulfill and immediately after my commitments in court relaxed, I had a death in my family and had to rush to L.A. Coming back from L.A and New York, I fell ill, so it wasn’t until yesterday, day before yesterday that I started to communicate with Senior Superintendent Jeffries. He was very nice and I told him okay Mr. Jeffries my long standing promise to bring in the Leiva brothers is maturing now, will you be ready for me and he said sure Mr. Sampson come, we ready for you.
The Leiva brothers appeared in Corozal magistrates court Tuesday morning and were charged with murder. They, along with twenty four year old Carl Sanker and twenty two year old Hugo Cassanova, were also charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The men have been remanded to Hattieville prison until March twenty-fourth.
