Accused rapist, Leroy Gomez, 24, was found guilty of all three charges against him for rape, aggravated assault and robbery, in the Supreme Courtroom of Justice Herbert Lord.
Gomez defended himself throughout the trial.
The jury of 4 women and 4 men went into the deliberation chamber at approximately 12:12 p.m. and returned with their unanimous guilty verdict at 3:26 p.m.
A woman and her female friend claimed that Gomez threatened them with a 6-inch knife throughout the entire ordeal.
The incident unfolded on August 23, 2008 about 12:00 a.m., as both victims, whom we shall refer to as Betty and Lisa, were walking on the Central American Boulevard heading toward Antelope Street.
According to the two women they had left from MJ’s Grand and were heading home when they noticed that they were being followed by Gomez. Both Betty and Lisa explained that Gomez approached in a courting manner toward Betty.
The two women tried to walk away, but were unsuccessful. Lisa, who was walking a little bit ahead of Betty, told the court that when she turned around she noticed that Betty was being held from behind by Gomez, who had the knife at her side and who relayed a command to Betty.
“Tell her if she runs I will stab you.”
Gomez first took off Betty’s gold ring with embedded gems, valuing $75.00, along with $10.00 that she had in her hands.
The women stated that during this initial stage a car which was passing slowed down and the driver said something, but they didn’t hear what was said, and Gomez told them to “play cool”.
Lisa and Betty complied. Gomez then managed to hold both girls around the neck and put the knife to Betty’s throat and forced them into an empty lot, where he demanded that Lisa sit on the ground and that Betty take off her clothes and bend over.
Betty told the court that Gomez had demanded that she perform oral sex on him and she had pleaded with him to at least put away the knife first, but he didn’t. During the struggle between Betty and Gomez, Lisa managed to jump up off the ground and run away from the rapist, leaving Betty behind.
Betty testified that at this time Gomez raped her. In court Betty explained that during the rape, she had her fingers crossed, and that Gomez asked her why she had her fingers crossed. She said she didn’t reply at the time, but confessed to the court that, “I thought I was going to die.”
The prosecution brought Dr. Ruth Gough, who had performed an examination of Betty, and confirmed that she had observed the presence of seminal fluid and sperm along with blood of the vagina and even bruising of the cervix.
Betty explained that after Gomez had finished raping her, he told her to go and that was when she grabbed her clothing and ran, turning around at times to see if she was being followed, but Gomez had already gone.
The jurors, after being briefed with the details of the case by Justice Lord, returned with a unanimous verdict of guilty for all three charges against Gomez: rape, aggravated assault and robbery.
Gomez was remanded back to the Belize Central Prison Facility until Friday, August 13, 2010, where the court will hear mitigation pleas and the sentencing will be rendered.