Giovanni Borland, 35, a resident of Western Pines, Mile 8, on the George Price Highway, who was chopped in the head during an altercation in Libertad at about 10:30 Sunday night, May 11, died 20 days later, at about 4:00 Saturday morning, May 31, in the Intensive Care Unit at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.
Borland was running from some men who were chasing him, and he tripped and fell down, and that was when one of the men, who was armed with a machete, chopped him in the back of his head, cutting off a portion of the skull, and exposing his brain, according to Borland’s uncle in an interview on KREM Radio.
Borland was taken to the Corozal Hospital in a critical condition and was afterwards rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), where doctors gave him only a few days to live.
Police arrested Joseph West, 25, a resident of Libertad Village, and charged him with attempted murder, grievous harm, dangerous harm, and aggravated assault. West was taken to the Corozal Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, May 16, where he was remanded until July 25.
Superintendent Andrew Ramirez, Commander of Corozal police, has announced that the attempted murder charge against West has now been upgraded to murder.
The incident occurred in front of a house in the village, where Borland was staying.
According to Karl Borland, Giovanni’s uncle, in an interview on KREM Radio, Giovanni went to Libertad on Saturday, May 10, to get his passport.
The following night, Sunday, at about 10:30, he was socializing at the Mil Amores Bar in the village when he had a misunderstanding with five men from a family in the village.
According to Borland’s uncle’s version of what happened, he was chased from the bar, and he ran towards the house where he was staying, and upon reaching in front of the house, he tripped and fell on his face. When he was on the ground, one of the men chasing him chopped him in the back of the head. The chop was so forceful it tore off a piece of Borland’s skull and left a severe wound.
However, police report a different version of the events from what was related by Borland’s uncle. They say that at about 10:40 Sunday night, May 11, they responded to reports of a chopping and visited the Corozal Community Hospital, where they saw Giovanni Henry Borland, 35, of Western Pines, Mile 8, Belize District, suffering from a large cut wound to his head.
Denmar West of Libertad was seen with injuries to the forehead (above his right eye), and Joseph West, 24, of Libertad, was seen with a cut wound on his right thumb.
Police said that their investigation revealed that at about 10:00 that Sunday night, May 11, Giovanni Borland and Joseph West were socializing at a local bar in Libertad, and an argument started between them.
Joseph West left the area, said police, and went to another bar about two blocks away, but Giovanni Borland reportedly followed him and on his way, got a machete and then approached West, at which point a struggle ensued. West, however, managed to take away the machete from Borland.
Shortly after, said police, Denmar West, who is Joseph West’s brother, came out of the bar and was going home when he was attacked with an object by Borland.
Joseph West saw what happened to his brother and he set chase after Borland with the machete he had taken away from him earlier.
Borland, while running, stumbled and fell to the ground, said police, who alleged that Joseph West then chopped Borland in the head. Not long after Borland was transferred to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in a critical condition, and police arrested Joseph West.
However Borland’s uncle has strongly rejected the police’s version of the chopping incident, and is adamant that Giovanni was running away from the men because he was greatly outnumbered at 5 to 1, and was not in possession of a machete. He called the five men cowards.
Giovanni Borland will be buried today in Corozal. He was the father of 4 children.