This is in addition to a murder charge that was levied on Wednesday, July 9
As police continue their attempts to unravel the motive behind the shocking murder of well-respected former Senator and Mayor of Orange Walk Town, Ramon Cervantes, Sr., 71, popularly known as “Don Ramon”, additional charges have been introduced against his alleged assailants. His accused murderers were marched back to the Orange Walk Magistrate’s Court at around 11:30 yesterday morning where they were each slapped with additional charges of kidnapping upon the elderly cañero.
The three men – Belizeans Mateo Pott, Jr., 28; Angel Antonio Cardenas, 19, and Guatemalan Noe Daniel Avila Gonzalez, 22, all from Trial Farm in Orange Walk – were arraigned the day before, Wednesday, July 9, at around 5:30 p.m., for Cervantes’ murder, which is believed to have happened on July 2, 2014, as well as for possession of an unlicensed 12-gauge shotgun and 5 unlicensed 12-gauge shells.
Manuel Castillo, 37, who has been pinpointed as the mastermind behind the abduction and murder of Cervantes, Sr., was also named on the charge sheet, although he is presently believed to be on the run, along with his pregnant common-law wife, Avicela Duran, 25.
Castillo, a deportee, was reportedly expelled from North Carolina in the United States in 2004 for drug trafficking and possession of a weapon with intent to kill; however, in 2007, he managed to travel back to the US, where he was detained for illegal entry and spent 3 years in prison, after which he was deported back to Belize.
Cervantes, Sr., disappeared from his cane field on Tuesday, July 1, and his body was located four days later in a shallow grave on a farm in the Indian Hill area, about 3 miles down the Honey Camp Road in the Orange Walk District.
Police were initially reluctant to categorize Cervantes’ disappearance as a kidnapping, although his family was convinced that the former star footballer and politician was abducted from his cane field.
According to police, they take note that it was two of the three accused killers who led them to the site where the decomposed body of Sonia Maribel Abac, 46 – who was believed to have been abducted on April 23, 2014 – was found this Wednesday, July 9, on an adjacent property about 200 feet from where Cervantes’ body was dumped.
Because of this, police believe that the men may also face charges for her death.
Pott, Cardenas and Gonzalez are scheduled to reappear in court on August 13.