B.D.F. soldier jailed for Threatening Jurors

Thirty-eight year old Glenston Bermudez, a career Belize Defense Force officer, is tonight serving a three-month sentence at the Hattieville Prison after pleading guilty to two counts of threat of death and one count of common assault.  In April 2011, Bermudez was initially sentenced to six months in jail for threatening two jurors who found his brother, Glenford ’Bucket’ Bermudez, guilty of the murder of Raquel Requeña. On May third, Bermudez was accused of intimidating thirty-seven year old Aloma Arana, a supervisor at Bottom Dollar Store, as well as thirty-four year old Desiree Garcia.  According to Arana, Bermudez entered her workplace and stared her down intensely before telling them he would end their lives.  He was later arrested and charged for the offence and condemned to six months in prison.  Bermudez appealed and Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin today reduced his custodial sentence to three months following a review of several mitigating factors, including that it was his first offence.  In delivering his judgment the CJ told Bermudez that, “the offense was a serious one because it interferes with the judicial system and that jurors must enjoy the safety of being able to come and serve as jurors.”