Taxi-driver viciously stabbed to death
Frank Jacobs
A Belize City cab driver was viciously stabbed to death; his body was found early this morning in Ladyville while his rented van was found hours later in Biscayne Village. According to his relatives, Frank Jacobs’ was stabbed about a hundred times. Thirty-four year old Jacobs worked alongside his brother as a cab driver in front of a local hotel. Jacobs, though well loved by family had friends, had his brush with the law. In 2003 and 2006 he was charged for drug trafficking. In 2006 he was busted with one hundred and twenty eight pounds of marijuana in an Isuzu Rodeo. It’s a shocking account of a life taken in a very personal and bloody fashion, but his colleagues believe the motive was robbery and he was unfortunate to pick up the wrong passengers. News Five Jose Sanchez reports on murder number forty nine for Belize.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
The body of Frank Jacobs was recovered after six this morning at Vista Del Mar. The vehicle he was driving was found in Biscayne Village. Jacobs, a taxi driver, was viciously stabbed many times before his body was dumped in Ladyville. According to his colleagues, Jacobs worked in front of Princess Hotel and Casino and may have picked up his assailants from the sidewalk.
Hugh Meighan, Taxi Driver
“He was parked out here and two guys were standing right out there looking for taxi. One of my colleagues in the union in there didn’t want to take him so the guys came out here and the assumption is that Frankie, in his good humanity, just picked up the two guys and ker them. This was somewhere around ten-thirty, eleven last night. And that’s the last we heard of him until this morning the word came out that he is dead noh.”
Jose Sanchez
“I guess you all are very devastated after the loss of a friends and colleague.”
Hugh Meighan
“Oh absolutely. Just a tremendously nice guy—very nice human, very pleasant. Everybody out here feels it because he is one of the best guys around the area here. He is never fighting for jobs or nothing, but he runs everybody and that’s his problem and unfortunately, this happened to him, you know.”
Hernelda Tillett, Mother of Frank Jacobs
“The police say it’s about one hundred and one stab all from his leg come up. In front here, in his hand, all his face. It was a cruel stab he get wounded. But god knows why. I don’t know who would do something like that to him. I don’t know. They have their reason, but whomsoever do it to him, I leave it to the man up above. No revenge. We are not asking for no revenge because we are not the type of family like that.”
Fellow cabdriver, Hugh Meighan, says that of the thirty taxi drivers stationed at the Princess, the killers took away one of the friendliest.
Hugh Meighan
Hugh Meighan
“I know the fellow for about twenty years. He run taxi right here for about twenty years. What I know about Frankie mien, I don’t know a better human being than that. Always up to give a man a hand, does everything out here, everybody likes him. He never says no, if you have to fix your car or do something, the man is just awesome—he is just a gentleman. But most important than that, he has a son about twelve [or] thirteen and those two people is like one person. Anytime the son is off from school in the weekend, I think they live in Belmopan, he comes down with daddy. They are always plastered together—father and son. And that’s why I feel a lot of grief for the son.”
Jacob’s mother, Hernelda Tillet, says she saw him for the last time on Mother’s Day.
Hernelda Tillett
“He said mami happy mother’s day. He bring a beautiful red rose and ih give it to me and ih give me wah hug and a kiss and that was the last time I see my son. But he was a good person to everybody. Everybody can say that about him. So I’m not swearing for nobody or my child because you noh know what they do, you know, but he was my oldest son and I feel it way down and it will take a while for it to go away. I love him so much although he die. I still have him in my heart and in my mind.”
Jose Sanchez
“I understand he had a court case that he was supposed to go to.”
Hernelda Tillett
“Yes he had a court case with his other brother in laws or I don’t know. But what was the motive of that court case, but just throw it off throw it off and he still keep appearing. We just went to the court just now and we just tell him whatever he used to do, he will attend court in June, but what happened will not be him again because no more court case. So I don’t know who kill him and things like that.”
Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
Jacob’s vehicle, a grey Chevy Astro Van, was found on a Feeder Road off mile twenty-four on the Northern Highway and the right rear wheel had been damaged.
101 stab wounds is overkill & very personal. Who benefits from his death? What case did he have pending?
I have no intention to examine this case or thread methodically by separating it into different parts and studying their interrelations, I will leave that up to you.
Taxi drivers have long since become targets for robbery and murder in Belize. I can only suggest that taxi drivers should be smarter at what they do for a living and for their safety, by start minimizing their passengers by physical profiling.
Taxi drivers need to stop picking up Belizean men at night time. Start targeting women and tourists as passengers instead of those animals lurking in the shadows of the night to bring their misery into your life.
The X-amount of stab wounds paints a gruesome picture of a personal attack in comparison to a random killing. Only in Belize will a man stab someone one hundred times just to steal his pay check, no pun intended.
Sadly, the most tragic aspect of this killing for is that this man’s death may pretty much define the quality of life of his son left behind in poverty.
and the murders continue without any word from the police chief or the minister of defence or more importantly not a word from the pm on the violence thats taking over the whole country its like they dont even exist where are these three individuals we the people of belize demand to hear from you doug singh perdomo and barrow we are fed up with all the killings and we want to know what your going to do about it and if this is the best you can do then all three of you should resign because you are all three a failure to the people of belize.
I am once again calling on this incompitent GOB to impliment the death penalty.
I agree with BZinCALI to stab someone 101 times, it must means that the person that did this was seriously out for revenge and has a personal history with Mr. Jacobs.
its so sad to see these guys just taking peoples life like its nothing..how do they eat??????or sleep?????…those people are someones dad, brother, father, uncle, sister etc………..what would it take for these vicious killings to stop…these guys are sick…how cud you just kill someone in cold blood?????they need to be on an island of their own and kill each other out…if they want to kill so bad why dont they kill themselves…..HEARTLESS COWARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!they are just so EVIL……..DAMN…….and the sick thing about this hold thing the parents encourage these guys when they get in trouble with the law….they are just taking up space…they shud be killed the same way they kill their victims….
AND………..if not the DEATH PENALTY……….. Send them to THE S.R.C…….aka Prison Farm…4 – life.
At THE SUSTAINABLE REHABILITATION CENTER (S.R.C.)……………..PRISON FARM………
these murders CAN EARN THEIR KEEP and……………………………… CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY at NO COST TO TAX-PAYERS.
BUILD THE S.R.C. (Prison Farm) in TOLEDO……….Klobe 2 close to Belize City.
THEY CAN GROW LOTS OF FOOD FOR SCHOOL LUNCHES, BUILD DESKS and CHAIRS and make Black-boards for SCHOOLS….ETC. They can be very productive……..at the SRC
BUILD THE SRC TODAY………….FOR A BETTER TOMORROW!!!
This was somebody close to him, this was personal (my opinion)………..this one is a good candidate for the death penalty……….
Really sad
I have no intention to examine this case or thread methodically by separating it into different parts and studying their interrelations, I will leave that up to you.
Taxi drivers have long since become targets for robbery and murder in Belize. I can only suggest that taxi drivers should be smarter at what they do for a living and for their safety, by start minimizing their passengers by physical profiling.
Taxi drivers need to stop picking up Belizean men at night time. Start targeting women and tourists as passengers instead of those animals lurking in the shadows of the night to bring their misery into your life.
The X-amount of stab wounds paints a gruesome picture of a personal attack in comparison to a random killing. Only in Belize will a man stab someone one hundred times just to steal his pay check, no pun intended.
Sadly, the most tragic aspect of this killing for is that this man’s death may pretty much define the quality of life of his son left behind in poverty.
If the death penalty was the answer there would be no murders now because for decades the death penalty was in place all over the world.
The answer is to have better trained cops to investigate and come up with the correct evidence so th guilty party dos not walk free out of court. When ever crooks know the will have a real hard time to get away with crime you will see the crime rate drop.
Hm years ago he was charged with drug trafficking with a substantial amount now if you add one and one together you get a guy who must have owed money or twisted a drug lord and the answer is death.
REST IN PEACE MY BROTHER,YOUR FAMILY MIGHT NOT GET JUSTICE FROM THE POLICE OR ANYONE,BUT GOD WILL GIVE YOU JUSTICE…
There are really no quick and fast answers to the criminal situation in Belize, however, perhaps if the GOB would support law enforcement with equal justice for all this could slow down or even prevent some crimes. The current DPP appears incompetent and very bias, the politicians appear to have their hands in some criminals activities. The PM is hell bent on taking draconian measures/extreme and unusual action under the guise of prevention intervention. Perhaps if they would enforce the laws that are currently in the books, hang a few murders, make a serious effort to come up with a strong witness protection plan, jail a few businessmen who are involved with criminal activities, confiscate properties of any criminal elements, no matter who they know, are. Show the crooks that you mean business. Perhaps, then we will see a drop in some criminal activities.
When will all the lazy belizean people get up and demand change? All belize people do is talk.everyone keep talking about the incompitent pm and gov but no one moves on. you all elected him. you idiots should have known that he is just like every other belizean… lazy and has no clue.a country full of lazy @$$ people.
I agree with you 100% B Groovy and that is why I am going to quote you and say ” This was somebody close to him, this was personal (my opinion)………..this one is a good candidate for the death penalty……….”
I know this guy personally. He was my regular cab driver and that night was the last time I saw or hear from him. He dropped me off at home around 8:15 p.m ; All I have is that final moment when he dropped me at home, we spoke for 5 minutes about his plans (work)for the following day and told me later (bye). RIP Frank. Never in my wildest imagination would I nor him have thought that it would be the last time… It’s so so sad and real hard to bring to reality.
Frank was a real great guy am so sad for his family, I just pray the pain will get eaiser over time
not only for his family but for his 1st born son Josh that lives in Cali.