Belize City teen stabbed to death allegedly for his own bike

Raheem Smith

In the city, the short reprieve was broken when a youth was stabbed and killed this afternoon. According to residents on George Street, around two-thirty, eighteen year old Raheem Smith was socializing with some friends in a yard where an exchange of ‘hard talk’ between Smith and another young man broke out. The victim, an employee of the Princess Hotel and Casino, was stabbed and rushed to the K.H.M.H. where he died shortly after. His aunt, Marie Grant, who wished to appear off camera, says that while they’ve gathered that her nephew was killed for his bike; he was no criminal.

Voice of: Marie Grant, Aunt of the Deceased

“Ih dah nuh nobody weh get inna trouble. Ah neva yet even hear mi nephew get inna wah fight much less ah fi yuh know, deh out deh di shoot nobody or yuh know, di bother nobody like that. Suh ah nuh really know weh happen today but I get wah call from my sista lee bit after three, tell mi come dah the hospital because Raheem di deh and ih serious suh I gone deh but by the time I reach ih done dead.”

Andrea Polanco

“Do you know to which part of his body he was stabbed?”

Voice of: Marie Grant

“Umm he get one stab wound to the upper left side like up under ih rib cage; that dah the only stab wound I si when I reach deh.”

Andrea Polanco

“Was he able to talk before he passed away; did he say anything to the family?”

Voice of: Marie Grant

“I have no idea because when I get deh ih mi done dead.”

Daniel Ortiz, 7 News

“Ma’am is it a regular occurrence that he hangs out in that area?”

Voice of: Marie Grant

“Well, I nuh really sure because usually weh he heng dah by umm the house weh we just come from by mi sista by Racecourse Street. He usually deh right in front of my sista house and if dah nuh deh dah by my neighbor next door but other than that I nuh know he as anybody di heng out pahn George Street or suh yuh know or no affiliation with nobody from George Street.”

Andrea Polanco

“From what we’ve heard, he was with friends; did you hear the same thing?”

Voice of: Marie Grant

“Well, really fi tell you the truth we nuh hear nothing yet dah just yuh know, deh say deh stab ah fi ih bike that is all we hear. We nuh know dah who stab ah or weh deh stab ah fah. All we know deh say dah fi ih bike we nuh know weh really gone on with he and the person bout the bike or whatever; we just know the neighbourhood di say dah fi ih bike.”

Paul Martinez, also known as “Obeah Bwai” was detained soon after the murder and the alleged murder weapon was found in his possession.