Photo: Irvin Anderson Martinez, deceased

by Charles Gladden

SAN PEDRO TOWN, Ambergris Caye, Mon. Dec. 18, 2023

Four persons have been arrested and charged by police for allegedly playing a role in the death of a well-loved bartender from San Pedro Town, 28-year-old Irvin Martinez, on Friday night, December 15.

According to official police reports, around 8:00 p.m. that Friday, Martinez had, after a day’s work, just departed from the compound of Mahogany Bay Village Resort, where he was an employee, and he and his common-law wife were en route to their home, when he got into a disagreement with three men.

During the confrontation, one of the men pulled out a knife-like object and proceeded to inflict a single fatal stab wound to Martinez, then fled the scene. The injured Martinez was transported to Dr. Otto Rodriguez at the San Pedro Polyclinic II, where he passed away shortly after.

Today, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander for the Belize Police Department’s Eastern Division, said that charges were levied upon 18-year-old David Lambey of San Pedro Town for the crime of murder in connection with the death of Martinez.

Also, police charged three other persons: 22-year-olds Zechariah and Zephaniah Mariano, and 19-year-old Keyron Lambey, all of San Pedro Town, for two counts of aggravated assault.

ACP Romero told reporters that the men had been involved in a previous conflict with Martinez, which led to the fatal stabbing. However, colleagues of Martinez have told reporters that he wasn’t a troublesome person, but was a workaholic, a family man and a great father to his three children.

The weapon used to kill him has yet to be recovered.