Guilty of Murder and Still On the Run, Where is Hildebrandt Codd?

Guilty of the murder of Densmore Bowman, but where is Hildebrandt Codd after escaping lawful custody prior to his last court appearance?  This morning, that verdict was handed down in the absence of the fugitive who sprang to freedom on December fifth out of Courtroom Number Three.  Here’s News Five’s Isani Cayetano with details of how Codd’s conviction played out at the High Court earlier today.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

A bittersweet outcome at the conclusion of a murder trial involving a fugitive who has been found guilty of murder in absentia.  The case against thirty-six-year-old Hildebrandt Codd has come to an end, despite the Belize Police Department being no closer to capturing the convicted killer.

Mary August

Mary August, Mother of Deceased

“I’m satisfied, I’m happy, I’m glad.  I can’t express my feeling.  I’m so happy that they had found him, convicted him, but in a point I am still sad because he is not here.  He’s not found and that’s the day I’m waiting for now.”

On December fifth, Codd was brought down to Belize City from the Hattieville prison.  He was scheduled to appear before the High Court to learn his fate after being accused of the gruesome murder of Densmore Bowman in 2019.  Somehow, Codd and an accomplice absconded by climbing out of a window inside the jury room of Courtroom No. 3.

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“We are still doing our best to capture Mr. Codd.  We are still working with the family of the victim to see if they have information and when they do, they would pass it to us.  We would normally check it out and see where we go from there.  The public has also provided information to us.  We do believe that he is still in the country and, again, I want to assure the Belizean people that we are doing all we can to find him and anyone who may have information pertinent to his whereabouts, we ask that you please feel free to contact the nearest police station or call the 922 number which is the Crime Stoppers number.”

While Jesse Mejia was captured on the same day, Codd remains at large.

Mary August

“I had blamed our police department.  [But] after I gave it some thought, I said I shouldn’t have done that because it could have happened with anyone.  I was sad.  I cried because, I thought, I said now my son’s murderer will go like that and I won’t get anything to satisfy because of his release or his escape.  Today now, I take back that I blamed the police department.”

For Bowman’s family, the decision handed down this morning by Justice Ricardo O’Neil Sandcroft was long awaited.  The judgment of the High Court is poignant because the felon, notwithstanding all efforts being made to have him convicted, is nowhere to be found.

Tiffany Cadle

Tiffany Cadle, Sister of Deceased

“I was expecting a guilty verdict, so to, you’re never sure until you hear it from the mouth of the person that needs to say it.  So when I heard that guilty, it was a resounding sound.  In my mind, I think that will stay with me for quite a while.  It’s not going to bring back my brother, for certain, but it is going to bring back some relief for us because, as you know, we have been fighting this four years now.  I think today, the twenty-first, was the day that they actually caught him.  When he murdered my brother, he was hiding out.  Again, he was hiding out and they couldn’t find him.  I think, if I’m not mistaken, I would have to check the records, today was the day that they found him in Orange Walk and then he was arraigned for the murder on the second of January.  Look back four years now, he escaped and his verdict is today and he is not here.”

Sentencing for Hildebrandt Codd has been set for January twelfth, 2024. Isani Cayetano for News Five.