Roberto Rodriguez, 21, and Clive Geban, 25, were on trial for the savage 2013 stabbing murder of Maskall resident Ervin Moralez, 60
BELIZE CITY, Mon. Dec. 10, 2018– Two men, Roberto Rodriguez, 21, and Clive Geban, 25, who have been accused of the grisly murder of a 60-year-old man, Ervin Moralez, in Maskall Village, Belize District, in January 2013, appeared in the Supreme Court of Justice Colin Williams this morning with their attorneys, and both men pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
This afternoon, the two were brought back to court so that the Crown, represented by Crown Counsels Janelle Thomas-Shorter and Riis Cattouse, could read the Crown’s evidence into the court record.
Following the reading, both convicts agreed with the facts that the prosecution read into the court record.
Justice Williams, in agreement with the men’s counsel, adjourned the case to January 21, when the court will hear mitigation pleas, and after submissions are made, a sentencing date will be set.
On January 19, 2013, around 12:00 p.m., Ladyville police received information alerting them to the death of a person in Maskall. When police visited the residence of Ervin Moralez, they discovered his body inside his home.
Police’s investigation led them to Roberto Rodriguez, who was a 15-year-old minor at the time, and Clive Geban, 19 years old at the time.
The police investigation revealed that the two had gone to Moralez’s home to purportedly carry out a robbery. When the men arrived at Moralez’s house, he was not at home, so the two entered and hid under the bed until he returned.
Moralez returned and was in and out of his house for a few hours, and when he finally returned home, the two intruders attacked him. One was armed with a machete and the other had a knife, which they used with cruel precision.
After attacking Moralez, they left him on the floor of his room drenched in blood and wrapped a blanket over his body.
Later during that same morning, the two went to Orlando Gonzalez’s house (a person whose name the prosecutor read out in court, along with that of Andrew Chacon, mentioned below) and while there, Geban told Gonzalez that he had just killed the man and that his brains had ‘flown’ out of his head.
On January 20, 2013, Roberto Rodriguez confessed to Andrew Chacon about his role in the attack and on January 21, 2013, he took police to an area in St Ann’s Village, Belize District, where he had hidden the machete with which he had attacked Moralez.
Both accused persons gave a statement under caution to Sergeant Dwayne McCulloch. The two statements were witnessed by Justice of the Peace Charles Hope and Frank Simms respectively.
Dr. Hugh Sanchez performed an autopsy on Moralez’s body and concluded that he died due to exsanguination (he bled to death) due to multiple stab and chop wounds to the back of the head, neck, chest and abdomen.
Attorney Leroy Banner is representing Roberto Rodriguez, while attorney Kathleen Lewis is representing Clive Geban.