BELIZE CITY–A Mahogany Heights teenager appeared in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court this morning, where Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith arraigned him on one count of murder for causing the unlawful death of Emerson Arnold, 35, on Friday, November 28.

When Smith asked Jason Sanchez, 19, if he understood the charge that she had just read to him, Sanchez replied, “not guilty.”

Smith told him that she was not asking him about his plea at that point: “Do you understand that charge that I just read,” she repeated.

Finally, Sanchez replied, “Yes, I understand.”

Smith remanded him into custody until his next court date on February 2, 2015.

On Friday, November 28, Belize City police responded to a report of a shooting on Gibnut Street. Upon arrival at the scene, police found Emerson Arnold dead. He had been shot five times in the back.

The shooting occurred shortly before 7:00 a.m., as the Belize Water Service employee was heading to his workplace.

Swift police action resulted in the arrest of Sanchez, the man who allegedly shot Arnold to death.

Witnesses had described a man wearing a “hoodie” as the triggerman in Arnold’s shooting.

Arnold is a resident of Lake View Street, where the week before, his cousin, Carlos “Zimbab”   Abraham, a ranking member of the George Street Gang, was shot (but was not fatally injured) as he sat in his vehicle in front of Arnold’s house.