Murder on La Isla Bonita
As the high tourism season cranks up, one of the top destinations recorded its third murder in the past month. A laborer met his death on Sunday morning in San Pedro; he was beaten and left to die on the street in front of his apartment in Boca del Rio area. The twenty-year old and his friend ran into trouble earlier with two other men who are believed to be visitors to the island. At least one person heard the fatal shot that rang out before dawn. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The two words “Thug Life” spray-painted on the wall inside the humble apartment on San Juan Street, San Pedro is testament to how twenty year old Bejon Wade probably lived and died. Wade had just moved into the apartment four weeks prior to his death early on Sunday morning. Police say he was badly beaten, tortured, shot and then dumped against a cement fence almost in front of his house that morning. The single bullet wound was fired at close range behind his left ear. Although inebriated when we caught up with him today, Cristobal Martinez said he was not far away when the fatal blast broke the silence of the early morning.
cristobal martinez
Cristobal Martinez, heard gunshots that killed Bejon Wade
“I mi deh right there in my areas, but mek ah tell you something, I hear some gunshots. I mi want to go out but I said no, that not good for me. In the morning – that happen almost bout four o’clock dah morning, the guy mi still alive.”
Still alive when he was discovered around six that morning, police transported Wade to the San Pedro Lion’s Clinic. But he succumbed about an hour and fifteen minutes later.
The killing, according to San Pedro Police, was the result of a fist fight that started at San Pedro’s Central Park, when Wade and a friend were accosted by two other men who had a conflict with his friend. It is not certain if the two attackers managed to assault Wade’s friend, but they administered a beating so cruel to him that he could not walk. The duo then reportedly drove him in a gulf cart to the area near his house where they shot him and left him for dead. The incident came as a surprise to Wade’s landlord, Javier Arceo, who said the young man struck him as a quiet youth.
javier arceo
Javier Arceo, Landlord of Bejon Wade
“To me ih used to be a nice guy. Dat dah recommendation I wah give ah. I sorry when dehn tell me dah he. I tell dehn ih can’t be cause dat dah one easy man.”
Up to news time police were still trying to establish what caused the conflict between the two groups and are looking for the suspects who they say are not from the island. They are also looking for Wade’s friend who they believe can help them with their investigation. Marion Ali for News Five.
Police found an expended nine millimeter shell at the scene and later on Sunday they seized a golf cart with blood stains for their investigation. Earlier in the month, two others were murdered: Maria Plaza, a Spanish flight attendant and Lionel Pinelo, a cabinet maker. Their murders remain unsolved.
I see a victim lying in his own blood on what appears to be a street, I also see the police contaminating the murder scene by just hovering over the body, the area where the body was located was not secured for evidence. As far as the police investigations into this murder, the case is already solved with pure speculation. Soon the tourists will only be using Belize as an exit point to nearby countries.
it has become the island of sin and corruption and the locals are putting up with it all because of their greed of money no one should visit this island worse in belize.
Looks like San Pedro is vying for the murder capital title, I hope they find these scum bags and put them where they belong.
Seems like the criminals are starting to believe that if the cops cannot solve these murders it is a good place to commit a crime.
Legalize drugs end of this situation.
Rod, you made a stupid comment. Just by your comment I sense you have no love for Belize.
How do you work that out cindy? You just woke from a drug induced sptupor, or what?
How can legalising drugs lower the murder rate? There would still be a black market, led by tax dodgers (Belmopan based). Contraband is still reaching Belize, and will get worse as XMas approaches. Many people getting wealthy through smuggling & corruption, at teh cost of Belizean jobs.
I am not surprised that these crimes haven’t been solved. what the Police should have done, apart from not destroy the crime scene with their boots, is lock down San Pedro. Nobody leaves the island, and nobody is allowed onto the island until the scene is processed and suspects found.
The good haveto suffer from the bad.
The other thing is to get rid of all the ‘Non-Islanders’ – send them back to the mainland with a lifetime ban from Caye caulker & San Pedro. We all know who they are, the town councils and Police know who they are, yet they are allowed to prey on tourists & locals alike!
San Pedro has always and will continue to be a hardworking community and yes a lot of money is made but that is because of HARD WORK DONE EVERYDAY… Way too many LAZY PEOPLE come to the island with one thing in mind…to steal and rob from the hardworking men and women who make San Pedro # 1. San Pedro is as safe as any other town and city in Belize, Mexico, Guatemala or the US..or will you turn a blind eye and think that no murders happen in other towns. Only CLOSE MINDED, IGNORANT people comment like “rod” did but i am happy that most of the San Pedro residents ignore comments like this and choose to continue with the hard work of making San Pedro the #1 tourist destination in Belize.
Well said Oscar965!!!!!!
Dont care what everyone says, Rod is right – septic tank of trashy americans, until BTB changes their marketing demographics and american real estate agents are properly regulated, Sin Pedro will only get worse.
Oscar965, your comment was relevant twenty/thirty years ago, but you seeing what that hardwork has led too?
Wont bother answering replies concerning my statement. have seen it with my own eyes, enough to convince me that is the root of this evil.
Thinker, I am very upset with Rod’s comment saying that we are very greedy for money. Sanpedranos are very hard working people that manage to keep a certain standard of lifestyle. We generize a lot of money for the government ,because we are a touristic island. We have been invaded by foreigners and Belizeans from all over the districts who come here to get a decent job to feed their families. No problem with that. Our biggest problem is the bummers that stick around bothering the tourists with drugs and other stuff. All the convicts that escape from their hometown end up in San Pedro. It’s time for government and the police to take strict measures to take these poeple out of our precious jewel! All the bombers go back to their hometowns;so San Pedro can be like before! Sorry Rod about your ignorance. These crimes happen all over the world everyday,but we will try to keep San Pedro safe as before.
Well said Oscar965…rod just a racist loser blinded by hate ! he living in the same sin he condemning….
daveyt………………. HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE A …..”non-islander”??? What does one look like????
If drugs is legalized it can cut the crime rate drasticlly, there are certain countries in Europe that have legalized everything in their country from prostitution to drugs. This keeps drugs from entering the countries and the addicts get the help they need, and sure there will always be a black market, but it would be minimized operating by a minority group, which can then be easily controlled by law and broken while the majority can of legal sellers can pay tax and earn a living from it.
The GOB earn good money by sending these drug dealers to court, and fining them, it is a business transaction for the people in power. Alcohol and cigarettes legal, yet they are more damaging than many drugs out there today on the market, just an example to show that the GOB do not give a crap about Belizeans.
By the @$$ backwards comments posted here you can tell who have used drugs. ” Hey, lets make a country full of addicts as a way to deter crime”, you say. The problem with that ridiculous notion is that everyone doesn’t respond the same to addiction and not every man can afford to feed his thirst for getting high…then what else does the poor man do but rob, pillage and kill to get his funds. Are we living on the same planet, because here on earth that doesn’t make sense. Belize isn’t Europe, we don’t have the jobs or the capital to enact this kind of ridiculous loose freedoms nor do we have the funds to help them get rid of their addictions when they want to reclaim their sanity. On another note it’s clear that the police don’t have the proper training to secure a crime scene, if any of them even takes a moment to watch one forensic science video, they could probably come that much closer to knowing how to secure a crime scene. I just hope that they had enough sense to secure the cart and dust for fingerprints. This country could really use an IAFIS system and fingerprinting every male/female who lives in this country should be mandatory. This is not a practical solution but it sure beats turning everyone into crackheads to fight crime.