_{Photo: (l-r) Vivian and Jon Ramnarace; David Ramnarace, deceased}

by Charles Gladden

BELMOPAN, Wed. Nov. 27, 2024

In a statement released to the public this week, the family of 38-year-old Vivian Belisle Ramnarace—who died of wounds she received on New Year’s Eve in 2022 when a gunman believed to be Elmer Nah went to her home in Belmopan and fired shots at her, as well as her husband, 38-year-old Jon Ramnarace; and brother-in-law, 29-year-old David Ramnarace—has expressed frustration over the paucity of information they have been receiving on the progress of the case, which has been proceeding at a snail’s pace, with multiple adjournments and delays.

The Belisle family declined an interview; nonetheless, they mentioned in their statement that they are receiving updates on the case through media reports like everyone else. In the family’s statement, they deny a claim made by attorney Richard “Dickie” Bradley that the enhancement of the video footage of the shooting of the victims is something “they don’t want to do”. “Our family is not opposed to this,” they assert in the statement.

The shooting took place at Vivian’s and Jon’s residence on Belen Street in the Maya Mopan area of Belmopan while the couple had been socializing with David and his common-law wife, 28-year-old Yemi Alberto, who had also been wounded by the shooter, but unlike the other three victims, did not lose her life.

Jon and David Ramnarace had been outside of the residence when the gunman entered the yard, and proceeded to shoot them, killing them instantly. The shooter then went inside the home and fired shots at the two women before leaving the scene. The chilling incident was captured by security cameras.

_{Photo: Elmer Nah}

After the shooting, police identified one of their own – former police constable Elmer Nah—as the suspected killer. He was initially charged with the double murder of the Ramnarace siblings, but when shooting victim Vivian Belisle Ramnarace passed away 16 days later, his charges were upgraded to three counts of murder (of Jon, David and Vivian Ramnarace), as well as attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm, and wounding charges in connection with the shooting of Yemi Alberto, David’s girlfriend.

At every appearance at the Magistrate’s Court in Belmopan, Nah has professed his innocence, and after almost two years, the case proper has still not gotten underway, because at the end of every session involving preliminaries, the case has been adjourned until a later date, only to be then pushed back again until another date.

Earlier this year, the case was moved to the High Court following the presentation of arguments by Nah’s defense attorney that enhancements to the video footage of the shooting would reveal that Nah was not the gunman seen in the video. Nah’s attorney, Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith, has secured the services of an audio forensics firm in Los Angeles, California.

Smith told reporters that he had requested the original footage of the incident along with his client’s cell phone and other items that are currently in the possession of the police. However, at the most recent court appearance, he mentioned that the items that he requested hadn’t been submitted by the Crown. These items are now scheduled to be submitted on November 29.

The family is appealing for the office of the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) to comply with the requirements of the court so that the case can proceed at a brisker pace and hopefully reach a just conclusion.

The date of the next court appearance is December 16.

(AMANDALA Ed. Note: A copy of the Belisle family’s statement appears elsewhere in this issue of Amandala.)