_{Photo: Kenrick Longsworth, charged}

BELIZE CITY, Wed. May 15, 2024

The murder trial of Kenrick Longsworth, 31, who, four years ago, at the age of 27, was accused of murdering his step-son, 3-year-old Mark Francisco Teul, and injuring two of Mark’s siblings, 4-year-old Zemark Teul and 2-year-old Markeem Teul, kicked off this morning before Justice Derick Sylvester in the High Court in a trial by judge without jury.

On Friday, January 10, 2020, police got a call about three children being abused inside a house at #27 Lovely Lane.

Inside the house police came across 3 boys: 3-year-old Mark Francisco Teul and his 2 brothers, Zemar Teul and Markeem Teul. The boys appeared to have been badly beaten up.

3-year-old Mark Teul died inside the house from the injuries he sustained. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the KHMH by a doctor, while his other siblings were hospitalized for days but survived the abuse.

According to the police report, Mark Teul was lying motionless on a mattress in the living room, while his two siblings, Zemar and Markeem were in the bedroom.

The doctor’s report on 2-year-old Markeem Teul said that he was seen with multiple wounds to the body, a swollen head, bruises to the lip, and cut wounds to the right knee; while Zemark Teul, 4, was seen with bruises all over his entire body, swelling to the forehead, cut wounds, a bloody face and a cut wound to the eyebrow.

Three-year-old Mark Francisco Teul, in his pampers, was found unresponsive in a bed in the living room. He had multiple bruises to his body, a swollen head, abrasions to the face and arms, bruises to the forehead, both feet, head, chest, nipples and mouth, and he had a broken left foot. The report also said Mark Teul had bruises inside his mouth, and his anus had a tear. The post-mortem concluded that the toddler died from asphyxia combined with blunt force trauma to the head and thoracic-abdominal compression.

It was not until late this evening that the DPP/Crown called the boys’ mother, Zema Requena.

Requena told the court that at around 1:00-1:30 that day she left home and went with a neighbor, and upon her arrival back home she saw Longsworth sitting on a bucket. He looked upset, and when she asked him what happened, Longsworth said to her, that next time she leaves, to take her kids with her.

That’s when Zema said she walked inside and saw Mark on the floor on a mattress with bruises all over his face and body.

Zema said she asked Longsworth what happened; and he said, “Dehn mi deh frustration me.”

Longsworth then asked Zema to go get a cigarette for him.

Zema said she was in shock, and to calm down Longsworth she went to get the cigarette. That’s when she grabbed Mark and ran outside and got a vehicle and rushed him to the hospital.

Zema said that at that time she didn’t go check on the other kids, because when she asked Longsworth about the other two boys, he said they were in the room. She was focusing on Mark, and so never saw the other two boys until she came back to the house. The other two boys were taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Zema explained the injuries she saw on the boys to the court.

In cross examination late this evening, the line of questioning put to the mother by the defense attorney made her get very emotional.

Defense attorney, Andrew Bennett suggested to the mother that it was she who lashed the kids that day, and not Longsworth.

Bennett suggested to the mother that it was she who caused her children’s injuries and killed her own son. He suggested to her that on that fateful day Longsworth broke up with her, and that’s why she hurt the children.

Zema vehemently denied that allegation, and insisted that when she left the house, the children were with Longsworth, and they were fine and in good health.

The mother admitted that from time to time Longsworth, the boys’ step-father, in disciplining them would penalize them by clapping them with his hands, or get a belt and stin them, referring to the term “lash” them. She denied that she caused any harm or killed her son, Mark.

Zema said when she met and went to live with Longsworth, he promised her a better life. She referred to herself as being a fool to believe anything he said. She said she was sorry she left the children’s father to be with him.

She left the stand saying it made no sense for her to kill herself over a man, and that she never would harm her children like that. She said on Friday, January 10, 2020, Kenrick Longsworth was the person she left her 3 children with. He killed her son, she said, referring to Longsworth, the accused in the box.

After leaving the stand, Zema asked the judge if she could ask a question; but was told no.

Zema left the court in a huff, and while leaving she uttered some words in her emotional and angry state. The judge heard her when she stormed out of the court and ordered her back in.

He told her that, one, her storming out of the court was acting very disrespectful, which the court did not appreciate. Justice Sylvester told her, “This is a court of law,” and while he understood her emotions, she cannot behave in such manner, and that it was disrespectful to the court. The mother then apologized for her behavior before exiting the court again.

The trial of Longsworth continues tomorrow morning at 11:00 before Justice Derick Sylvester.