BELIZE CITY, Mon. Oct. 26, 2020– Thirty-two-year-old Vildo Westby was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday, October 22, for the 2017 murder of Jose Ayuso.
Westby, who has been on remand for two years, appeared before Justice Colin Williams after being found guilty in August of this year.
In September of 2018, a police manhunt that lasted over 18 months came to an end when Mexican authorities in Vera Cruz, Mexico, found Westby, a baker of Guinea Grass Village, who was wanted by Belize police for the murder of Jose Ayuso, 44, the owner of a unisex salon in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, and who was found dead in his home on February 2, 2017.
In court, Crown Counsel Shanice Lovell presented evidence which confirmed that Westby visited Ayuso’s residence on the day he was murdered, asking for money.
Ayuso reportedly refused to give Westby the money he requested, and as a result, Westby stabbed him 15 times with a bicycle spoke.
After committing the crime, Westby fled the island to Mexico, where he was later detained by Mexican law enforcement, who handed him over to Belizean authorities.