BELIZE CITY, Mon. Oct. 1, 2012
As a matter of public interest, this is Amandala’s record of the murder roll and statistics through to today, Monday, October 1, 2012.
For the third consecutive year, Belize has passed 100 murders – and, worryingly, done so at an earlier point in the year than in 2010 and 2011.
2010’s 100th murder was recorded early in October and 2011’s in the last week of September, respectively. According to our unofficial statistics, the 100th murder victim this year was Honduran national Wilmer Esquivel, 27, found stabbed to death in his home in the early hours of September 17.
The third quarter, July, August and September, saw a total of 34 murders, five more than the second quarter.
In July, which saw 13 murders, Corozal Town was hit by back-to-back double murders, first that of mother and daughter Clari and Shanny Fredersdorf, owners and managers of a hotel who were subjected to a fatal robbery on the night of July 4. One week later, two men, Robert Hernandez of Carolina village and town resident Kenrick Vaccaro were shot and killed. Residents of the town came out to protest after that double murder, but three others have been reported since, including the killing of the son and namesake of Belize City businessman James Swan, Sr., James Swan, Jr., 30; taxi operator Anwar Hernandez, 28; and 20-year-old Urbina Gonzalez Barrera.
Women were subject to gross attacks – such as the gruesome death of Susanna Lopez, 25, in Bella Vista, Toledo and the shocking shooting death of school warden Dana Augustus, 41, on the weekend of the Carnival King and Queen Competition in Belize City – but a woman, Calaney Flowers, was charged for the murder of Lyndon Morrison, 29, on August 28, after being accused of intentionally running down Morrison and his pregnant girlfriend, Sochyl Sosa, who were traveling together on a motorcycle, with her vehicle near the roundabout on Freetown Road and St. Thomas Street.
Police officers, too, were in this quarter on the right and wrong side of the law resulting in murders. Michael “Street” Valerio, 47, was beaten to death by two police constables in Punta Gorda on Sunday, July 29, leading to their being charged. Corporal Victor Lima, 35, posted to Hattieville, had been shot while responding to a report of a burglary in progress just a few days earlier, and died on July 27.
More young men were taken before their time – Raheem Smith, 18; Kendis Pike, 18; Clive Medwood, 23; Tevin Ferguson, 19; Kirk Hemmans, 16; Miraldo Alvarez, 24; Norval Belisle, Jr., 21, Andrew Usher, Jr., 23, and Jamie Dominguez.
Lastly, there is the sad apparent murder of baby Kaelee Burgess, a year and 11 months, in Ladyville, in a most twisted tale. Kaelee’s parents quarreled and both ended up detained – her father for allegedly kidnapping her and causing damage to his mother-in-law’s house; the mother for setting fire to their house in Ladyville. Kaelee was found the day before her birthday, face down in a bucket of water, and her death was ruled to have been caused by suffocation. Nearly three weeks later, no arrests have been made.
Below are the murders reported for July, August, and September.
Date Name Sex Age Residence Manner of Death Jurisdiction
Wednesday, July 04, 2012 Shanny Fredersdorf F 18 Corozal Town Shot Corozal
Wednesday, July 04, 2012 Clari Fredersdorf F 35 Corozal Town Shot Corozal
Wednesday, July 11, 2012 Robert Hernandez M 38 Carolina, Corozal Shot Corozal
Wednesday, July 11, 2012 Kenrick Ernest Vaccaro M 50 Corozal Town Shot Corozal
Monday, July 16, 2012 David Martinez M 52 Cotton Tree, Cayo Other (Unknown) Belmopan
Monday, July 16, 2012 Susanna Lopez F 25 Bella Vista, Toledo Other (Unknown) Independence
Thursday, July 19, 2012 Raheem Smith M 18 Belize City Shot Belize Urban
Friday, July 27, 2012 Victor Lima M 35 Benque Viejo Shot Belize Rural
Friday, July 27, 2012 Stephen Flowers M 24 Belize City Shot Belize Urban
Sunday, July 29, 2012 Wayne Madrill M 42 Belize City Shot Belize Urban
Monday, July 30, 2012 Michael Valerio M 47 Punta Gorda Other (Beaten) Punta Gorda
Tuesday, July 31, 2012 Kendis Pike M 18 Belize City Shot Belize Urban
Tuesday, July 31, 2012 Clive Medwood M 23 Belize City Shot Belize Urban
Wednesday, August 01, 2012 Tevin Ferguson M 19 Belize City Shot Belize Urban
Saturday, August 04, 2012 Ricardo Blanco M 35 Orange Walk Town Other (Beaten) Orange Walk
Sunday, August 05, 2012 James Swan, Jr. M 30 Burrell Boom Shot Corozal
Thursday, August 09, 2012 Peixian (Kenny) Tan M 32 Ladyville Shot Belize Rural
Monday, August 13, 2012 Kirk Hemmans M 16 Belize City Shot Belize Urban
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 Fernando Quib M 33 Punta Gorda Shot Orange Walk
Sunday, August 19, 2012 Felix Godoy M 33 Belize City Shot Belize Urban
Friday, August 24, 2012 Miraldo Alvarez M 24 Belize City Shot Belize Urban
Tuesday, August 28, 2012 Lyndon Morrison M 29 Belize City Other (Traffic Accident) Belize Urban
Saturday, September 01, 2012 Dana Augustus F 41 Belize City Shot Belize Urban
Monday, September 03, 2012 Urbina Ivan Gonzalez Barrera M 20 Corozal Town Shot Corozal
Thursday, September 06, 2012 Kaelee Burgess F 1 Ladyville Other (Suffocated) Belize Rural
Saturday, September 15, 2012 Norval Belisle Jr M 21 Belmopan Shot Belmopan
Monday, September 17, 2012 Wilmer Alexis Esquivel M 27 Belize City Stabbed Belize Urban
Monday, September 17, 2012 Andrew Usher Jr M 23 Belize City Shot Belize Urban
Tuesday, September 18, 2012 Anwar Hernandez M 28 Corozal Town Shot Corozal
Friday, September 28, 2012 Eddie Antonio Sanchez M 35 San Ignacio Town Other (Chopped) San Ignacio
Saturday, September 29, 2012 Jaime Dominguez M 16 Belize City Shot Belize Urban
Sunday, September 30, 2012 Trevor Anthony Johnson M 31 Belize City Shot Belize Urban
Friday, September 28, 2012 Eddie Antonio Sanchez M 35 San Ignacio Town Other (Chopped) San Ignacio
Friday, September 28, 2012 Charles Gamboa M 53 Dangriga Other (Chopped) Dangriga
Saturday, September 29, 2012 Unknown M unknown unknown Shot Belmopan
Saturday, September 29, 2012 Robert Lewis M 56 Belmopan Shot Belmopan
Saturday, September 29, 2012 Jaime Dominguez M 16 Belize City Stabbed Belize Urban
Sunday, September 30, 2012 Trevor Anthony Johnson M 31 Belize City Shot Belize Urban