_{Photo: Felix Martinez and Adelita Gillett, deceased}

by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Mon. Jan. 20, 2025

Only a few hours after the Legal Year was declared open with ceremonies in front of the Supreme Court building in Belize City, a major tragedy resulting in two deaths by gunshot occurred some 31 miles away, and police investigations will determine whether it is a closed case of murder/suicide, or one more case for our courts to adjudicate in which an accused murderer(s) will be brought to trial.

A Burrell Boom couple was found dead inside a Chevy Equinox on Monday evening, January 20, about a quarter mile from the Crooked Tree junction on the Philip Goldson Highway. Sometime after 6:00 p.m., Amandala received reports that the victims’ motionless bodies with suspected gunshot injuries were found inside the Chevy Equinox which was pointed in the direction of Belize City.

While authorities are still investigating the scene, Amandala has confirmed that the deceased victims are Felix Martinez and Adelita Gillett, who reportedly shared a home with their one child in Burrell Boom Village.

As of print time, there is not much concrete information about this fatal shooting, and what caused it, and there have been conflicting reports. Preliminary speculation from some quarters indicated that it appeared to be a case of a murder/suicide. However, other reports claim that there were bullet holes in the driver’s side glass window, and suggest the possibility that it was a case of an ambush/robbery/double murder, made to appear like a suicide was involved.

Martinez was a well-known athlete who recently played in the Ahmadiyya basketball tournament, and was a student of Galen University on the way to completing his bachelor’s degree; while his partner Gillett was a Registered Pharmacist.

More details on this tragic incident will be in Amandala’s Friday edition.