Photo: David “Duecy” Cruz, sentenced

by Charles Gladden

ROARING CREEK, Tues. May 23, 2023

Notorious gang figure of Roaring Creek Village (Cayo District), David “Duecy” Cruz was given a life sentence when he appeared in court on Monday, May 22, after he was found guilty in mid-2022 of the murder of Timroy Neal, 28, in 2019. He will be eligible for parole after 30 years.

Neal, also a resident of Roaring Creek, had been socializing in front of a popular establishment, Lucky Entertainment, which is situated adjacent to the police station, when Cruz approached him and started firing several shots in his direction. Neal tried to escape, but he fell by the steps of the store, and that was when Cruz stood over Neal and fired several more shots at point-blank range.

The entire incident was captured on footage from surveillance cameras in the area, and reportedly Neal was shot approximately seven times in the head, which caused him to die on the spot.

In 2006, several years before his brutal execution of Neal, Cruz had been accused of murdering a 16-year-old boy, but the charges were later dropped. He subsequently gained a reputation in Roaring Creek for committing other crimes, including murders, but was never convicted.

At the time of Neal’s murder, he was a father of two children and had twins on the way.