Accused killer of 3 Ramnarace family members, Elmer Nah’s murder trial adjourned to August 22
by Marco Lopez
BELMOPAN, Wed. July 5, 2023
A partial disclosure that was 20 pages in length and contained 5 photographs was given to the attorney of Elmer Nah this morning in the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court. In what was a deviation from typical procedure, Nah was only informed of this when he arrived in court, without his attorney present. An adjournment date was set for August 22, 2023, when he is to receive the remainder of the disclosure.
The former police officer is accused of what the spokesperson of the families of his victims, attorney Arthur Saldivar, has labeled an unprecedented criminal act—in Belmopan, at least. The heinous triple murder took place on December 31, 2022, just hours before the New Year.
The Ramnarace, Belisle, and Pascasio families continue to seek justice for their loved ones – Vivianne, David, and John Ramnarace – all victims of the attack that was carried out by a gunman (believed to be Nah) who slipped into the yard in which they were enjoying a family gathering and unloaded bullets that ended the lives of the three. The accused, Elmer Nah, is the nephew of the former Assistant Commissioner of Police, Marco Vidal. Nah, a former member of his uncle’s Commander Operations Strike Team, had been implicated in connection with a drug plane landing near Bladen village, Toledo, in 2021, and there had been questions about Vidal’s possible complicity, or professional negligence, as well. Earlier this year, the government of Belize proposed a Special Prosecutor Bill to appoint an impartial attorney in place of the Director of the Public Prosecution’s (DPP) office. This is due to an appearance of bias that arises, given the proximity of Elmer Nah to the DPP—Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, who is the wife of Nah’s uncle, Marco Vidal.
This Special Prosecutor Bill, however, was struck down in the Senate after the lead Opposition senator, Michael Peyrefitte, pointed out its inconsistency with the Constitution and the possible legal ramifications of such a move.
The partial disclosure handed over to Nah’s attorney today is typical, Saldivar, who is the spokesperson of the victim’s families, pointed out.
Saldivar, in his comments to Amandala, said, “We know that with these things, and with the way the police work, many times they are committed to doing the most thorough job possible, and that may take some time. Where that is the case, we support that, and we are hoping that is the case here.”
The family is hoping that when the matter does reach hearing there are no issues caused by a lack of proper investigation on the part of the police. Based on the facts already divulged, Saldivar says, they are hopeful justice will be served.
“The facts that have been established and made known to the family have been formidable, from our point of view. So, we are very hopeful that when this matter does come to be heard, that justice will prevail,” Saldivar said.
As far as Nah’s representation in court, or lack thereof in this particular proceeding, Saldivar calls it an “unprecedented course of events”, and surmises that the approach was taken to facilitate Nah being “spirited in and out with expedition.”
He questioned why a person accused of one of the most heinous criminal acts in recent memory seems to be getting “red carpet treatment” from the state. When interviewed by local media, he said, “Is this person special? Does this person have information that they are trying to protect? Why is it that he’s being given this velvet-glove treatment? Brought to court in an AC vehicle? That is the question that people are asking.”
We will continue to follow this case.