Marlon Zelaya, 17 yrs., murdered
marlon zelaya
The second minor in the weekend’s blood bath is seventeen year old Marlon Zelaya of Moya Street. The unexplained circumstances surrounding his murder have baffled residents in the St. Martin De Porres area, including his grandmother Margaret Zelaya. There are many theories for the motive behind the killing but none have been confirmed. His lifeless body was discovered at six- forty on Sunday morning with what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to the left side of his head. Word on the street is that Marlon was closely associated with a group of young men who fired upon police constable Abel Mendez while he was on active duty on Mahogany Street last Wednesday. Marlon’s grandmother, who had been raising him since childhood, last saw him on Saturday night when she left him in the company of a few friends.
Margaret Zelaya, Grandmother of Murder Victim
margaret zelaya
“I see ah bout and I lef ah out yah and that’s it. I can’t tell yo exactly weh gone on with ahn out ya. I lef ahn out yah and I gone sleep. After that, I noh know what happen.”
Isani Cayetano
“Talk to us about his discovery. When was he found and who found him and what happened after that.”
Margaret Zelaya
“About five-thirty, usually you got wahn young man weh normally come pick up pints and thing like that, well he find ahn and dah so he tell ahn go eena yo bed. When he find out that he know that ih dead and dah so he call 911 and they come and pick ahn up and ker ahn dah dead house.”
Isani Cayetano
“Some people are saying that he may have been shot in the head and brought back here and placed under the house. What have you heard so far as a parent? What is the word that is getting back to you?”
Margaret Zelaya
“Well I no hear nothing. I no hear nothing, nothing at all.”
Isani Cayetano
“I know that you are acquaintance with the young man who got killed. Can you speak to us a bit about what you know?”
Voice of: Marlon Zelaya’s Friend
“Well Marlon da mi my lee home bwai and thing and all ah we deh back ah Martins and we hang out and everything dig. But the mawning when Miss Lady tell me they find ih son underneath the house, I feel discourage and thing because back ah Martins it di get real bad mi bredda, yo check. Dah mi lee friend. I concern because dah mi lee home bwai and thing and like dah no justice or nothing noh deh di go on. Di rumors ina di streets, noh fi talk fi mek no body feel bad, but the rumors ina the street di seh the police involve with young bwai death because police mi deh through deh so. Yougn bwai ma seh too, with ski mask and deh thing deh so, yo dig?”
Isani Cayetano
“This is the second tragedy you’ve had to deal with within a year. How are you coping?”
Margaret Zelaya
“Well ih really bad right now because I wah bury by at least Thursday and I noh know cause I just bury wah son bout four months ago.”
Voice of: Marlon Zelaya’s Friend
“Weh di happen back ya soh bredda. Back ya so serious. All kinda activity the happen back ya soh and I scared mi self fi come out after nine o’clock and thing so. As they shet down, me go home because all kinda activity the go on back yah and me no wahn no body take my life because they just the take yo life back yah so like bird. The young man dah mi my friend.”
According to Margaret, her grandson never indicated to her that he was being threatened or had a misunderstanding with anyone.
Innocent until proven guilty is either a myth or a reality we cannot afford in Belize with our poor conviction rates.
If his friends & his grandmother knew that he had escaped from the Police after he & his friends shot one of them; to ensure his safety they should have delivered him to the station in one piece & if necessary have the TV news crew with them.
It’s possible that the Police shot him but one of his own boy may have taken him out to keep him from talking.
The police are becoming the suspect again, and the victim was innocent, and died for no reason at all, that, I am having trouble accepting.
Word on the street is that Marlon was closely associated with a group of young men who fired upon police constable Abel Mendez while he was on active duty on Mahogany Street last Wednesday. TRUE OR FALSE? That is the question.
Think I will on the investigation for this one.
Hmmm – there is two sides to every story. Police involved? Well, the police get shot, lived n they supposedly kill someone associated with the alleged shooter. Ok, so how is it they can’t find who shot the little boy mangar or they person that killed the family in corozal? Our country is really messed up – but like i said there’s two sides to every story so maybe the news should interview the police.
The murder of another youth is bad. Youths are the future and the strength of our developing country. However, that Mrs Zelaya knows very little of grandson’s life is truly troubling. Parents need to be more responsible and be more active in the life of their children and grandchildren.
This is messed up. Mr. PM and Min of Nat. Security, what are you waiting on??? Act and stop taaak!
Belize should start using check points in the city more often. If we need to use the military something has to give. Start holding the parents responsible for their children actions.
When people gonna get it; people talking about wanting death squad – death squad exist in Belize for at least a couple years now; but they protecting criminals; not like the PEPES who would clean up the whole house; Belize City need a serious cleaning; GOB need to spend some of those money they spend on the fancy SUVs and hire some Gurkhas and have them come in and let them lose in the city and just pick up the dead bodies next morning; these guys won’t be shooting up the place at random; when they kill is because it will only be you and no collateral damage.
Stop phuking around GOB and show these sick freaks that law abiding citizens want back their country.
Hit the gangleaders, drug king pins, rapists, theives, corrupt politician just go crazy…let the bodies hit the floor.