A crowd gathered this morning at the Punta Gorda court for the arraignment of two police officers. But it was until this afternoon that the duo faced the music; they were read charges for the murder of Michael Valerio. Police constables Modesto Cucul and Federico Tush were reportedly intoxicated on Sunday when they inflicted a […]
The delay in arraigning Cucul and Tush is not uncommon, says Officer in Charge of the Punta Gorda Police Department, Inspector Ernel Dominguez. Dominguez, who also acted as prosecutor in this case, says that only high risk detainees are handcuffed. He says that residents can be assured that due process will be followed in the […]
In the Old Capital, there have been four murders in the past four nights. B.D.F. Corporal Wayne Madrill and Stephen Flowers were killed over the weekend and on Monday night two more residents fell victim to the uncontrollable street violence. We start with the homicide of Kendis Pike, who like B.D.F. Corporal Madrill, was gunned […]
There is another family grieving the loss of a loved one. The second person to be killed on Monday night is Clive Medwood who turned twenty three on Sunday. Medwood was in the comfort of his home listening to music when a gunman fired at him through a window. His mother says he was the […]
Tonight’s question is: Will going to the ICJ stop incursions by Guatemalans into Belizean territory? Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones to 8686 or post your vote on our e-poll at channel5belize.com. You can also send an email with your comments to questions@channel5belize.com.
An unfortunate accident at the Port of Belize at the crack of dawn this morning led to the death of a stevedore. Ian Madril was being lifted on a flat rack when it gave way. Madril and another stevedore, Deon Pitter, were discharging a cargo ship; the men plunged some thirty feet. Madril did not […]
In the courtroom of Justice Oswell Legall, a habeas corpus application was heard this morning on behalf of Karol Mello, the alleged Slovakian mafia boss who is wanted by the Slovakian authorities. Prior to this application, attorney Godfrey Smith had obtained an order from the Supreme Court to restrain the minister of Foreign Affairs from […]
It was a violent weekend in the south and in the City that ended in the murder of three persons while two others were shot. In Punta Gorda tonight, police have arrested two of their own; who from all accounts went on a wild rampage on Sunday night. Police Constables Modesto Cucul and Federico Tush […]
While two cops are to be arraigned for murder, in the city, a B.D.F. corporal lost his life in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Corporal Wayne Madrill, who was also a band member, did not make it home from a party. The corporal was on Cemetery Road when someone opened fire; he was shot […]
Since Madrill joined the B.D.F. in 1991, he was a part of the B.D.F. Band. His bandmaster, colleague and friend is B.D.F. Staff Sergeant Kevin Campbell. Campbell told News Five that the slain soldier was an integral part of the unit and the band will play for Madrill this Friday at St. John’s Cathedral. […]
The first person to be killed over the weekend was Steven Flowers, who was shot multiple times on the chest and rib cage in close proximity of his Mahogany Street house. Flowers was along with another person, Rayan Mejia hanging out in front of a bakery when gunshots rang out. Mejia was also shot and […]
The case of a U.S. National, who was accused of molesting three boys in October, 2011 made the headlines, but the case was quietly dropped in the Corozal courts last week Thursday. According to reports, the three victims refused to testify and the prosecutor had no choice but to withdraw the charges against the American […]
Back to the violence, two men were injured in separate shootings over the weekend in Belize City, but were fortunate to survive. At around eight on Sunday night, twenty-three year old Dwayne Sutherland was targeted by two young men on bicycles, who opened fire at him at a party on Lacroix Boulevard. No one else […]
So far, we have reported on three murders and one shooting. The other incident in the old capital involves the shooting of twenty-eight year old stevedore, Raymond Arnold. On Friday night, Arnold was shot a stone’s throw away from his home. He told police that he was standing on Rivero Street when an unknown gunman […]
A special session of the House of Representatives was held this morning in Belmopan. It was called for the presentations of four bills, but it was other hot button issues that dominated the session. With pressure building up, the Foreign Minister Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington addressed the House on an erroneous report by the OAS in […]
Minister Elrington says that while the OAS blunder was objectionable, he is satisfied with the withdrawal of its original statement and the issuance of a corrected version. Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs “In respect of the OAS press release which first came out on last week Friday, twentieth July, I can report […]
The fate of Colonel Javier Castellanos, as a ranking officer in the Belize Defense Force, hangs in the balance tonight. The Belize Advisory Council, chaired by Attorney Lionel Welch, has already determined that he is to be reinstated as the deputy commander of the B.D.F. On Tuesday, the Belize Advisory Council, essentially comprised of government-appointed […]
As we reported on Thursday night, the Police Association and Ministry of National Security have mended fences. In a joint press release, it was announced that the leaders of the association, Corporal Eldon Arzu and Sergeant Edlin Lorenzo, have apologized to the Commissioner of Police, David Henderson and Minister John Saldivar for going to the […]
Corporal Victor Lima passed away after two a.m. this morning in the Intensive Care Unit of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he in a critical condition since Tuesday night. The cop, who is now being called a hero, was shot while responding to a home invasion in Hattieville. Two bullets found their mark on […]
Ten year old Brithon Cordova is tonight in a coma after his house collapsed on him at around nine a.m. on Thursday. Brithon along with his seven year old nephew, were playing with a puppy under their unstable zinc house, when it crashed on them. Neighbors pulled them from under the house an hour later […]
A nineteen year old is back in prison tonight after being out on bail for over a year pending the appeal of a firearm conviction. Orson Andrews was busted with a point thirty-eight revolver at his house on April sixteenth, 2011. He pleaded guilty to charges for keeping an unlicensed firearm and ammunition that same […]
Two children were injured today in a freak accident up north. Ten year old Brithon Cordova is in critical condition while his nephew, seven year old Jovuan was more fortunate and sustained minor injuries when their house crashed on them. The accident happened on San Martin Street in Orange Walk Town this morning when Brithon […]
There is justice for Colonel Javier Castellanos. Seven months after he was removed from the Belize Defence Force as Deputy Commandant, Castellanos has been cleared by the Belize Advisory Council and re-instated to return to post as second in command at the B.D.F. He heads to the Ministry of National Security in Belmopan this Friday, […]
Tonight, it appears that the dust has settled between the Belize Police Association and the Police Department. On Wednesday, the president of the Association, Corporal Eldon Arzu and its vice president, Sergeant Edlin Lorenzo, appeared before a tribunal where they were arraigned for disrespecting their superiors and for disobeying a command. The two had fallen […]
Belize’s natural resources are under sustained threat. In the Chiquibul, incursions by Guatemalan nationals to illegally log, extract xate and poach for exotic birds are escalating. There is now news that about three hundred Guatemalans are panning for gold. It takes a bit less work than logging, and it fetches more on the market, so […]
