On the night of June 18th when they allegedly murdered four persons and robbed their employers of over 20 thousand dollars, Leslie Pipersburgh and Patrick Robateau captured the imagination of Belizeans. Many wondered how could two young men, gainfully employed and regarded as diligent workers, commit acts of such purposeful and needless violence? And while that question has been marinating in the collective national subconscious, today they returned home to find that in a sense they had become celebrities - elevated to the status of criminal icons. It's a remarkable transformation and Alfonso Noble has been following the story all day and picked it up just after 10:00 at the Phillip Goldson International when they arrived via a Taca flight from Mexico routed through El Salvador and into Belize:
Alfonso Noble reporting,
At exactly 10a.m. this morning Taca flight 410 touched down at the Phillip Goldson International Airport bearing two of the pair that had been Belize's most wanted for three weeks: Leslie Pipersburgh and Patrick Robateau. Within 5 minutes of touching down, Mexican lawmen turned them over to a throng of Belizean law enforcement personnel who immediately packed them inside a police truck and drove out of the airport bound for the Queen Street Police Station. This morning a horde of onlookers gathered at the alley connecting the Queen Street Police Station and magistrate's court simply to get a glimpse of these fugitives. That wait turned into hours as police prepared charges for the duo and moved the crowd back to outside the alley's gate. And that security move was issued out to everybody and our camera gave us no immunity.
Crispin Jeffries: Commander of Operations, Senior Superintendent
Go on the street, go on the street, just go on the street. We no wa argue you know, mek we go, mek we go, mek unu have to put me pan the camera. You can get your photograph near the gate.
Alfonso Noble
We obliged and finally at 3:40 the two men alleged to have cold bloodedly killed four persons in the night of 18th June of this year took the walk from Queen Street to magistrate's court to face criminal charges of murder, attempted murder and robbery. For Pipersburgh who now seems to have been elevated to a super-star status he greeted and smiled at the cheering crowd. For the spectators who stood around, their motivation to have a look at the duo was varied.
Onlooker 1
Pipersburgh and Robateau, I hear dey bring dem back and I jus wah see weh dem look like, I don't really know weh they look right, you know.
Alfonso Noble
You have any interest in seeing them, what is your drive?
Onlooker 1
I no really got interest in seeing dem, I just wah si weh deh look like cause I no si dem in person you know weh a mean?
Onlooker 2
Well I jus'out ya.
Alfonso Noble
Yu jus' wah si?
Onlooker 2
Yeah.
Onlooker 1
As normal Belizeans, yu know anything normal Belizeans we wah si and faas, yeah da so we say it, you know, faas an si weh di go on. When fire we run to fire, when rain wi run from rain, but you know we Belizean, we da normal Belizean, you know, that's all, you know.
Alfonso Noble
Sir, why are you out here?
Onlooker 3
Well I deh out ya right now fi si weh di happen to the youths dem and ting but weh really I say 'bout the whole ting main, deh guys had a job main, deh guys had a job. You know, deh shoulda mi tink twice before deh do dis ting because deh guys had a job. Right now a lot of youths out ya wan work, you know, so that's all I could se 'bout it.
Onlooker 4
I'm here to see the guys dem but I really sorry for them main, because dey wah face some serious charge. I sorry for them.
Alfonso Noble
Why you figure dey di face this serious charge, ah mean, you no think people responsible for their actions?
Onlooker 4
Well, I agree with dat. But I sorry for dem still yet, because deh da human being and I sorry for them, they made a serious mistake. I just here to see the guys dem right, because we all from here, we all Belizeans. But I sorry for them, I sorry for them. Everybody mek mistake and I think dey mek wah big mistake, right, and I sorry for dem main.
Alfonso Noble
While he is sorry for them and would be lenient it is now a wait and see scenario as prosecutors put together as air tight a case as they can with the hope of getting a successful prosecution on what many claim to be one of Belize's most sensational criminal cases.
Pipersburgh and Robateau were read charges with four counts of murder, one attempted murder and robbery. They were remanded and have retained the services of attorney Simeon Sampson. Crowd
Loud cheering when Pipersburgh and Robateau appears.
As you saw in our headline story, Senior Superintendent Crispin Jeffries was very much in charge of today's processing of fugitives Pipersburgh and Robateau - so much so that he literally pushed the media out of the compound. But later this evening, when the pair had been sent off to prison, Jeffries had wound down sufficiently, and commented at length on the case and the capture of the pair:
Crispin Jeffries, Senior Superintendent
Certainly, there is some satisfaction on the part of the administration. We are still to complete the task of prosecuting the case and we are working on that diligently. In fact we've had the assistance of the DPP's office throughout the investigation to ensure that we pout together a file and that file has been sent to them and has come back to us with some directives and we've followed through on those and from all indications we have a very tight case coming up.
Jules Vasquez
You have faith that your roster of witnesses in this case won't fall apart?
Crispin Jeffries
Jules, I am very optimistic that our witnesses in this case were in fact victims to the extent that they think that they'll be doing justice if they come forward and I'm certain that all assurances are there that they will come forward.
Jules Vasquez
Is there any idea of how they got into Mexico?
Crispin Jeffries
From what we have gotten in writing from the Mexicans, there is some indication that the persons were admitting to have crossed the border at the Santa Elena checkpoint and had in fact gone through Chetumal and traveled to Cancun by bus.
Jules Vasquez
And do you think yourself fortunate to have intercepted them right as they were entering Mexico, entering into the United States, in terms of had they entered that, that is again a much larger country with far different agencies?
Crispin Jeffries
Certainly, it is some success on the part of the effort and to a great extent we believe that, yes, there was some degree of luck on the part of the department to see, or the Mexican and the police, Belize police department to see that these persons were intercepted prior to going across into the United States.
Jules Vasquez
Now, seeing the reaction, the mob on the street, is that something that sort of offends you, that galls you?
Crispin Jeffries
Certainly not, I think the, the... I believe you are referring to the people who were gathered outside the gates to see the persons being escorted to court...
Jules Vasquez
And who applauded, or who cheered.
Crispin Jeffries
I don't, I don't think that they, there were mixed reactions, there were mixed reactions and the general attitude of the public is because the police put on certain restraints and certain security processes and they don't have their way, they tend to want to react and to jeer you and intimidate you and give you the impression that they're happy but I don't think that sensible people in the crowd were really happy about the incident. But there were some loud shouts at the time when the persons appeared and were to go up the stairs of the court.
Jules Vasquez
Looking at the case from an evidential perspective, is there enough, sort of, ballistics to match them to all these murders?
Crispin Jeffries
The investigation is still under way. Certainly those areas have been looked into, there is some indication that comparisons have been made already and more are to be made. There is also an attempt to look at some DNA samples and things like that. So there is the forensic side of it that is taking place, some of it is a little bit slow.
Jules Vasquez
When they were caught, did they have any money?
Crispin Jeffries
Not from what was indicated to us by the Mexican authorities-they had limited funds.
Jules Vasquez
So, then is the money still somewhere out there?
Crispin Jeffries
Very good-your guess is as good as mine, Jules.
Jules Vasquez
How have they been, what has their mood been like since you all have taken them into custody. have they given onto anything, any of their wrong-doing?
Crispin Jeffries
Jules,I think the two persons are showing very little remorse at this time. There is on the part of both of them a laid back attitude to say, speak to my lawyer.
Jeffries says they have at least one of the suspected murder weapons.