The second of two vicious Cayo criminals who had terrorized the districts has been captured, and they are both locked away at the Belize Central Prison on charges of aggravated burglary, murder, armed robbery and other violent offences. They have been remanded to prison until August 8.
Police said that the men, identified as Marvin “Bamboo” Neal, 25, of San Ignacio and Jerod “Steel Bab” Arthurs Lamb, 27, were the killers who went into the home of Steven Valencia in Santa Elena Town on Tuesday, January 29, and killed him in front of his two children, ages 4 and 7, and robbed him of $7, which was the only money found in Valencia’s house after they ransacked it. Valencia was shot once in the center of the upper back, in the right thigh and in the ankle.
Police also contend that on Tuesday, April 16, the same two killers went into the home of a woman in Rumors Resort on the Benque Viejo Road, Cayo District, where they beat and choked her, tied her up and left her to die in her laundry room. They then went into her home, from which they stole various items, then got away.
On April 19, after a manhunt, Marvin Neal gave himself in to the San Ignacio police and was charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated burglary, handling stolen goods, and aggravated assault. He was taken to court on Monday, April 22, and remanded to prison until August 8.
Police said that Lamb, on the other hand, went on the run and remained at large despite their best efforts to find him.
The hunt for Lamb came to an end when he was captured on a farm in Camalote Village on June 4. He was arrested and on Friday, June 7, was taken to the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court to answer to the same charges that were brought against his accomplice, then he was remanded to the Belize Central Prison, until August 8.
Lamb had given a statement under caution which was forwarded to the Office of the DPP, which gave directives to charge him with murder, in addition to charges of burglary and attempted murder.
Police said that C.I.B detectives have evidence linking the two men to both the Valencia murder and the aggravated burglary, as well as the attempted murder at Rumors Resort.