Jason McKenzie is Charged for Murder of James Escarpeta

Jason McKenzie

Thirty-two-year-old Jason McKenzie appeared unrepresented in the lower courts this afternoon where he was arraigned for the murder of James Escarpeta on July twenty-sixth.  In court, a Senior Magistrate explained to the construction worker of Belama that due to the nature of the offense, he will be tried in the High Court and that a plea won’t be taken from him at this stage.  Police say that on the night in question they received information of someone that someone had been shot on West Street.  When they arrived at the scene of the shooting, they observed the motionless body of thirty-eight-year-old James Escarpeta.  The murder of Escarpeta triggered a state of emergency in three feuding communities in Belize City.  McKenzie was informed that bail cannot be offered to him and he was remanded to custody at the Belize Central Prison until November third, 2023.