_{Shantel Williams, convicted of manslaughter}

by Roy Davis (Freelance Writer)

BELIZE CITY, Mon. Mar. 31, 2025

Shantel Williams, 29, charged with manslaughter for the stabbing death of her boyfriend, Louis Adolphus, 39, was found guilty of the charge this evening by Justice Derek Sylvester. Williams was remanded into custody at the Belize Central Prison until April 29, while she goes through a procedure for sentencing, which will include a victim impact assessment report, a psychological report, a report from the prison, a plea for mitigation, and her antecedents (previous convictions).

The stabbing occurred at about 12:50 a.m. on August 2, 2022, at Adolphus’ residence, located on Curassow Street.

There was a domestic dispute between Williams and Adolphus, which began over an umbrella that was in the house, that Williams claimed belonged to a former girlfriend of Adolphus.

The case for the Crown, which was presented by Crown Counsel Janell Fernandez, was that Williams took a knife with a blade about 5 inches long and stabbed Adolphus in his shoulder, near to his neck. Adolphus was taken to the hospital, but he died shortly afterwards while receiving treatment. A post-mortem examination conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Mario Estradabran determined that Adolphus died from internal and external bleeding.

There were no eyewitnesses of the stabbing, and it was Williams herself who went to the Raccoon Street Police Station and told police that she had stabbed Adolphus and that he was in urgent need of medical attention. When the police arrived at the residence, they saw Adolphus lying on a mattress and bleeding. Williams gave a statement to the police in which she claimed that it was a case of self-defense.

A chief witness for the Crown was Adolphus’ brother, Emerson Dominguez, a police officer who resided in Biscayne Village. Dominguez testified that at about 11:20 p.m. on August 1, 2022, shortly before Adolphus received the stab wound, Adolphus called him by telephone and told him that he was being attacked by Williams, that he had taken away a knife from Williams, and that she had a second knife. Adolphus, said Dominguez, asked for his help. Dominguez said he could hear Williams in the background, telling Adolphus that his brother could not help him.

At the close of the case for the Crown, Williams’ attorney, Leeroy Banner, made a “no case to answer” submission, but it was not upheld by Justice Sylvester.

Justice Sylvester then told Williams of her three options: that she could remain silent, testify, or give a statement from the dock.

Williams chose to give a statement from the dock. She said she was acting in self-defense when she stabbed Adolphus. She said that Adolphus did not want her to leave the premises, and he had locked the gate after they had an argument over an umbrella. She said Adolphus struck her on her lip with the umbrella, then he armed himself with a knife. She stated that she managed to take away the knife from Adolphus, and Adolphus bit her on her right thumb in an effort to take away the knife. She said she feinted at him with the knife three times before she stabbed him.

But Justice Sylvester, who was judge of the law and the fact finder, did not accept that it was a case of self-defense. He said that Williams could have retreated and left when she had the knife; and that she didn’t have to stab Adolphus, because he posed no threat to her. The judge also said that he didn’t believe that the gate was locked, and he was of the belief that Williams could have left the premises, which she did when she went to the police station.

Consequently, Justice Sylvester found Williams guilty of manslaughter.