by Roy Davis (freelance writer)
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. May 23, 2024
Three witnesses, one for the defence and two for the Crown, testified today in the sentence hearing of attorney Oscar Selgado, 54, who was convicted of abetment of murder by Justice Nigel Pilgrim.
The first witness, who testified for the defence, was Dr. Jahleel Elijio, a general practitioner, who said he has been practicing medicine from September 1, 2014. He first met Selgado 8 years ago in Punta Gorda Town. He said Selgado was not a patient of his, but he would interact with Selgado on several occasions about his health. He said that Selgado was diagnosed with diabetes from 2013, and apart from diabetes, he was suffering from hypertension and high cholesterol. When combined, it was a metabolic syndrome, Dr. Elijio said.
He submitted a report on Selgado’s health, which was admitted into evidence.
He said that due to his diagnosis of Selgado’s health, Selgado has to be monitored every 8 to 12 hours, and he has to get a checkup every 3 months. He also said that his blood glucose has to be tested twice daily, and that Selgado should have a proper diet.
The second witness who testified was Dr. Javier Novelo, and he was a witness for the Crown.
Dr. Novelo said he has been a general practitioner for over 10 years, and he has been working as a doctor at Belize Central Prison for 9 years and 11 months. He said he works from Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
He said he has inmates who work with him, and he is familiar with Selgado, who is suffering from diabetes. He submitted a diabetic inmate list, which was admitted as evidence.
He said he has a special regime for inmates who are diabetic, and the prison is quite capable of managing their condition.
He said that Selgado would be allowed to get free medical checkups every 3 months, and that Selgado would be allowed to get his blood pressure checked twice daily. He also said that an ambulance was available at the prison.
Under cross examination by attorney Arthur Saldivar, Dr. Novelo said he didn’t know about Michael Coye, who was a diabetic and who died while being an inmate at prison, but he knew about Jahan Abadi, who was also a prison inmate and was a diabetic. He said that apart from diabetes, Abadi was suffering from depression and he had stopped eating. He said that Abadi did not die at the prison. He said that Abadi went into shock, and that he was taken to Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where he died.
The third witness, who also testified for the Crown, was Virgilio Murillo, the Chief Executive Officer for Kolbe Foundation and the Director of Belize Central Prison.
Murillo said he has been working at the prison for 22 years, and that he manages all aspects of the prison.
He said that inmates who are diabetic are put on a special diet, but he has no control over what is provided for in that diet that has been in place ever since Kolbe Foundation took over the prison.
He said that he is a diabetic himself, but he doesn’t eat the prison food. He brings his own food. He later amended that statement by saying that he does taste the prison food from time to time.
He said that he has interacted with Selgado, and he’s aware that Selgado is a diabetic, and that the prison is capable of dealing with his health challenges.
Under cross examination by Saldivar, Murillo said that Kolbe Foundation is a non-profit organization, and the prison doesn’t have nurses because the prison is not equipped to deal with nurses.
Murillo said an ambulance is available at the prison 24/7, and in case of emergencies there is a chat group that is alerted, and the emergency medical technicians are consulted
He said that there are about 1,200 inmates at Belize Central Prison.
A victim impact assessment statement from Marilyn Barnes was read into evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution Cheryl Lynn Vidal who represented the Crown.