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Burnt remains found of Bzean American entrepreneur

HeadlineBurnt remains found of Bzean American entrepreneur

Photo: Jerome Chester Crawford, charged with murder

Taxi driver Jerome Crawford, 40, charged with murder of missing Belizean American, Owen Tucker

by Charles Gladden

BELMOPAN, Mon. Nov. 28, 2022

Tuesday, November 22, was the last day that family members of Owen Reuben Tucker, 66, a Belizean American businessman, saw him alive. Tucker was reported missing, and the speculation was that he was dead, killed by his ex-employee, Jerome Crawford, 40, a taxi driver of Belize City, over a money dispute. Crawford has now been charged with the horrible crime.

Tucker had recently purchased a property in Biscayne Village, Belize District, which is formerly known as Crocland Eco Park, and had rebranded the establishment, which was renamed Washing Tree Rainforest Eco-Park and Resort, and was scheduled to open on January 25 of next year.

According to reports, Crawford, a former employee of Tucker who had a dispute with him about money, reportedly went to the establishment on the property, where Tucker was at the time, and fired his shotgun at him, killing him on the spot. He then proceeded to wrap Tucker’s body in a rug and disposed of it at an unknown location. Police later searched Crawford’s home in Belize City and discovered the 12-gauge shotgun allegedly used to murder Tucker. Crawford was detained by police and charges were levied against him; however, he was uncooperative with authorities.

Based on reliable reports, Tucker’s burnt body was found in the Belize River Valley area near Lemonal Village in the Belize District.

Before the discovery of Tucker’s remains, Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams indicated during a media briefing that there is concrete evidence linking Crawford to the murder of Tucker.

“We believe that based on the evidence, we can prove those things to a court in a subsequent trial. Nonetheless, we are employing our best endeavor to be able to locate the body to then be without doubt or certainty, establish to the court that Mr. Tucker is dead. He died from unlawful harm, and the harm was caused by Mr. Crawford,” he said.

“… We have direct evidence where that is concerned, and again, [as] I said, we will try to do more to make the case stronger. I always believe that in any prosecution you can never have too much evidence; you can only have too little, so the more we get the better it’s going to be for us,” the Compol added.

Additionally, a Kia Sorrento, which police believe was used to transport Tucker’s body from the location where he was killed to Lemonal, has been impounded. A luminol test was conducted on the vehicle, and the results revealed that blood was in the trunk of the vehicle. Samples were taken for DNA testing.

It has been reported that no other persons were involved in this crime.

Crawford has been charged with murder.

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