A tale of two families ends in arson and maim

The violence extended to the capital where an old beef escalated into total mayhem between two feuding families at the Maya Mopan Community. Two houses were set on fire and four persons were injured, including a woman whose arm was mutilated and is still hospitalized. Another person is clinging to life.  When News Five’s Delahnie Bain visited today, she found out that the two families were trying to recover from the series of events that went awry.

Delahnie Bain, Reporting

A feud between two families in the Maya Mopan community in Belmopan erupted into a violent attack over the weekend. It was the Ochoa versus the Ico’s and while there was a history of bad blood, the straw that broke the camel’s back was a fire on Saturday morning at Neftali Ico’s house.

Romelia Teul, Friend of Ico Family

Romelia teul

“The Ico family told me that this problem is from long time. Di Ochoa’s di chance them because the Ico family is Ketchi and they can’t explain; they can’t speak English. When they try go report, the police noh do nothing and they get tired. Saturday in the morning dehn burn down Ms. Ico son house. Saturday in the morning about three o’clock. Dat dah weh she tell me and I tell her mek dehn go file di report.”

The Ico’s got word that it was a member of the Ochoa family that burnt down the house… so they set out to get even.

erlinda ochoa

Erlinda Ochoa, Chopping Victim

“When my brother was going to the field, three of them attacked him and they started to chase him and our neighbor called us and told us that they are attacking our brother. So we went. We didn’t take anything and the three persons had machetes and we didn’t have anything and we went to try and help our brother. When we see they were just flinging machete and that’s how all the incident happen. I get a chop on my right hand, my sister; her right hand actually came off and they are trying to fix it. My father, they chopped him middle of his head and his hand too. Right now he can’t breathe. He is breathing through his head back and other brother; he got chopped on his neck. Right now they are trying to see what they can do for him.”

It’ didn’t end there. A second house belonging to the Ico’s was torched the following morning.

Romelia Teul

“After the fighting, everything done, the person dehn gone dah hospital and the Ico dehn gone home. Five men reach and threaten them—dah friends of di Ochoa’s, close friend for them—I know them as Tot. The lady tell me dat dehn reach and tell dehn mek dehn come out ah di house because dehn wah burn down di house. Dehn come out and gone sleep somewhere else and yesterday in the morning, the house gone down. We get the news about seven-thirty or eight o’clock. Two house gone down and now di family stay here.”

But Erlinda Ochoa, one of the victims of the attack, says they had nothing to do with the fires and they believe it’s all a setup.

Erlinda Ochoa

“We didn’t know nothing about that. This is what we are saying; when we saw the fire all of us were at home when my father said he sees fire and when we came out of the house we just see fire. We didn’t know who did it and they are blaming all kind of people. They say four girls were included and twelve man.  We saw when they were taking all their stuff and going through there so that people wouldn’t see when they are taking their stuff and then I say that they could be the same one that burnt their house and they’re just blaming people.”

Several residents in the area told us that the Ico family was known to cause trouble with neighbors.

Jose Canti, Maya Mopan Resident

jose canti

“About a month after when I don build my house here they start to come, be friendly, borrow my bike. They borrow two bicycle from me and condemn my bike.  I tell dehn repair back my bike but actually dehn get vex wit me.  That bring problem and Mr. Ico come and he threaten me inna my house three times and I forgive the man because I just lately get operation dat’s why I didn’t want to pick up fight wit them. So what I do, I rather left di areas, left dis lot yah and I gone build my house to di back.”

leonardo tush

Leonardo Tush, Maya Mopan Resident

“He used to live in Mabil Ha Village in Toledo. Di same problem, dehn get him out from deh and some friends I know from San Miguel, dehn brought him to San Miguel and for some reason he come up here and when I come it’s the same problems he’s having. When I mi come sit down and talk to him I tell ah better you move from this area because you wah create more problem.”

Margarita Ca’al, whose husband Nicjholas, son Julio and daughters Erlinda and Isabella were injured, now has to take care of her children and grandchildren and finances are hard to come by.

margarita ca'al

Margarita Ca’al, Mother of Victim

“I’m sad and I don’t know what to do because I have my children and I don’t know what to do to buy their food and so on. They see other children having things like chips and so on and they want too but the thing is that the money is the problem. And my husband, he works at the farm. He doesn’t really have a good job. All of them are asking for their father because they are used to having him around. They even cry when they don’t see their father. They want their father back.”

Delahnie Bain for News Five.

Up to press time, three persons, including two members of the Ico family, were charged criminally and it is expected that an arson charge will also be levied on one of the three. Forty-nine year old Antonio Ico, his son nineteen year old Neftali and family friend, twenty-three year Rudy Teul were charged in the court of Magistrate Adolph Lucas in Belmopan. Antonio faces charges of Attempted Murder, Dangerous Harm and Use of Deadly Means of Harm upon Nicholas Ochoa. Teul and Neftali were slapped with Attempted Murder and Use of Deadly Means of Harm upon Julio Ochoa. Neftali was also charged with Harm and Wounding upon Erlinda Ochoa. The three will be spending Christmas behind bars and are due to reappear in court next March.