Alleged plot to rob and murder Shoman family foiled
And violence permeated over the weekend. And in this case, we’ve heard about the new type of crime on the scene – home invasions and what follows could be a plot made for movies. And if the allegations we’re about to reveal were actually carried out, then cops would have had a blood bath in their hands to solve. Reports surfaced on Saturday that a plot to kill an entire family, the Jose Shoman family, had been foiled. What is worst is that three members of that family are children between the ages of four and eight years old. The allegation is that the target was businessman, Jose Shoman, his wife Malachi, their three little boys, and Shoman’s sisters, Yasmin and Dina. The attack would have been carried out at the Shoman residence at mile two on the Northern Highway and the masterminds behind the plot included two of Shoman’s former employees who felt aggrieved by their recent dismissals for theft. The claim is that the partners in crime included Guatemalans who entered Belize on Friday evening via a commercial bus to carry out the act. Jose Shoman called a news conference at the family’s residence today to explain how the murderous plan was foiled just hours before their lives would have been violently ended and how they now plan to regroup and secure their lives.
Jose Shoman, Targeted by Former Employees
“It all started on Friday night at about exactly midnight or there about. I received a phone call on my cell phone and the person on the other end disclosed certain information to me and he requested to see me in person. At time in the evening I don’t really make it a practice to see people but his concern sounded… he was frightened so I accepted him to come over to my home. I saw on the patio and he divulged certain information that there was a planned invasion broad daylight, eight o’clock Saturday morning, which would have included robbery and after the robbery execution of the family—murder of the family—and a get away in my own private vehicles. After this information was disclosed to me, I was bit skeptical at first but left nothing to chance. I called the Police Department, informed them of what had happened and they took control of the situation from there and I suppose conducted their investigations. I was informed on Saturday that due to the information, they conducted several raids which brought about the individuals and weapons and equipment and it was all in line with what the informant said. Since then I have been made to understand that the people involved are a couple disgruntled workers whom I fired for stealing and some Guatemalan individuals.”
“One of the five that went to court is a former employee of mine, he’s a Belizean. When he was under my employment, he was doing construction, his name was Francisco Martinez; that’s how I knew him. I have been made to understand that he’s using another name now Urbina, an alias Aldo Urbina. He has a nickname Pancho. I’ve been made to understand he is one of the masterminds behind it. In regards to the Guatemalans, I don’t know who they are or how they came about to get into the situation. The other former employee, I haven’t seen him charged yet but, he’s still in police custody. He is Caesar, I think Caesar Ramirez Aldana and I had to fire him a few weeks ago because of theft.”
“The information that came to me, the other Guatemalans they didn’t know them name. That information led directly to the success of the raid which was done diligently by the police. I’m sure the police did their own investigation in the meantime, but there wasn’t much time. This thing was supposed to be done eight o’clock in the morning, that’s the hour I got and this information came to me around midnight.”
“One of the persons, who is considered in my opinion to be one of the masterminds, was in my employment for over five years. Caesar Ramirez, he could have been considered a trustee. He understood the place very well, he was one of the names that was called and the informant told me in detail that they would have gained entry by force, tried to have everyone tied up and then rob for what they can and then after that they would not leave any witnesses. They would have started with my children, my wife, the rest of my family. This isn’t something to betaken lightly.”
Jules Vasquez
“How many people were in the home?”
Jose Shoman
“It was myself, my wife, my three kids and my two sisters.”
This afternoon the police held a conference of their own to say how they managed to stop the perpetrators.
Jose Shoman
“I must say the police has done a wonderful job because if it weren’t for them, you all would have been here covering another side of it and only God knows what that side would have been.”
Clement Palacio, Police Press Officer
“On Saturday thirteenth December, 2008 at about three-thirty a.m. acting on information received of a planned home invasion of the Jose Shoman, police visited 8171 Gallard Street in the Saint Martins DePorres area and they executed a search for firearms and ammunition. As a result of the search, the firearms were found; one point three-eight special Taurus brand revolver along with six live rounds of ammunition, one point two-two pistol, eight live rounds of ammunition, one army knife measuring about twelve inches long and a blue ski mask. As a result, all five persons that were there were arrested and they are Miguel Maraga, forty-seven; Aldo Urbina, thirty-five; Jose Cordo, seventeen; Carlos Juarez, seventeen; Ezwin Rosales, seventeen. All these persons are detained and they have been charged on possession of a firearm.”
Superintendent Julio Valdez, O.C., C.I.B.
“Part of that plan was that they commit a robbery, steal some valuables and part of the plan was also that in the event that no valuables were found there, the intention was to kill one of them; one of the family members to let them see that they were serious. That is part of the information we have and as a result of that, we visited that residence where we found the firearm, the blue ski mask, and the military knife.”
Jose Shoman
“I’ve been made to understand that there is a list of prominent businesspeople and homes that were going to be hit after this. I have been made to understand that had this been successful they would have gone back and come back and you would have heard something similar happening again at another location.”
Marion Ali
“And how would they have pulled this off? They have connections there as well?”
Jose Shoman
“I have no idea how they would have pulled it off but what we have noticed is that the family of these individuals have relatives in Guatemala, have relatives in Central America and they are a very clannish society. To me it seems that they are a network.”
The information gathered so far is that the five men arrived in Belize on Friday evening and were searched at a checkpoint in Benque Viejo Town. No weapons were found on them and thus they were allowed to proceed to Belize City. Police are focusing their efforts along the border points.
Supt. Julio Valdez
“We are conducting checkpoints, we are stopping vehicles and we must search on reasonable suspicion and that is gives the authority to search. We must have the reasonable suspicion to search.”
Marion Ali
“Are you aware that there is a list that they actually study people’s homes, they apply for jobs under the guise that they are gardeners and they are maids and they are cooks but the bigger plan is that they want to…”
Supt. Julio Valdez
“It’s something, maybe they want to find out the area.”
Marion Ali
“Do you agree with the Shomans that there is a lot of them operating?”
Supt. Julio Valdez
“Could be possible”
Marion Ali
“This is not the first home invasion.”
Supt. Julio Valdez
“No, not the first home invasion.”
Jules Vasquez, Channel Seven
“Sir, is there anything that you will—it is a problem with criminals who operate in this area—is there anything that you all will or can put into place to try and search out their known affiliates and punish them?”
Supt. Julio Valdez
“I’m very sure, Jules, that seeing this occurring, I’m very sure that will contact our counterparts over the border and we’ll see what information we can gather about these persons. We will have to offer security to the Shomans and not only to them, but some other persons that were mentioned that were on the list.”
Jose Shoman
“Imagine if this thing had gone through, perhaps you all would be covering another side of the story and probably looking at our local people as the ones who committed this crime. This isn’t something for us to sit down lightly on because the people that were behind were former employees, people we trusted. I want to caution everyone in Belize. My children right now don’t even want to come out to play. My wife is very distraught over it. I’m stepping up my personal security. We are going to b e more vigilant of who’s coming and going, screen workers before employment, I will have twenty-four hour armed security at the house. As you can see, these people have no regard, Marion. We have security cameras, we have a fairly safe place in my opinion and they still want to come in.”
The five men charged have been denied bail and are now remanded to the Hattieville Prison until January twenty-seventh. In a developing report, the five will be charged with Conspiracy to Commit Robbery and seven counts of Conspiracy to Commit Murder.
