Suspect arrested in Bermudian Landing double murder

He was acquitted less than two months ago of the 2005 slaying of Mara Noemi Garcia in Lord’s Bank … and now eighteen year old John Chessman, a resident of Dolphin Street in Belize City, is again facing murder charges. Chessman was arraigned today before Magistrate Dorothy Flowers on two counts of Murder for the May twenty-ninth killings of nineteen year old Karen Crawford and forty-four year old Maurice Banner in the village of Bermudian Landing. This morning, Officer Commanding the Crimes Investigations Branch, Assistant Superintendent Aaron Guzman, flanked by the new Eastern Division Deputy Commander, Senior Superintendent Robert Mariano and lead investigators, recounted how they closed in on their prime suspect.

Assistant Superintendent, Aaron Guzman, O.C., C.I.B.
“We’ve recorded statements that put this accused on the spot. Based on certain things that were found on the crime scene, that is what led us to believe that it was drug related. It may be that more than one person are considered shooters. So he is one of the prime suspects and our investigations are pointing towards three other persons. They are from Belize City. We know who we are looking for but we have to be careful of releasing the names because we have not sworn to information and complaint yet on warrant in the first instance, in their names and also we will try to apprehend them first.”

On the night of May twenty-ninth gunmen went to the home of Emerson Wade and opened fire on a group of people after they did not find Wade there. Crawford, who was Wade’s girlfriend, and Banner, a family friend, were shot to death. Chessman has been remanded to Hattieville Prison until July third. In April he was acquitted of the murder of Mara Noemi Garcia, which took place at the home of Floyd Brown where Garcia worked as a domestic. Chessman’s co-defendant, nineteen year old Robert Gillett, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of Manslaughter in that incident.