In June of this year Paul and Derrick Munnings made headlines across the country after they were charged for a violent carjacking in rural Orange Walk. The brothers, who are devout members of the Bobo Shanti Rastafarian sect, are now out on bail. But after all the bad press and jail time they are on a mission to clear their names. They claim they didn't carjack anyone and now Derrick and Paul are fighting back to clear their name and get back their car.
Keith Swift Reporting, [keithkswift@gmail.com]
Brothers Derrick and Paul Munnings are deliverymen - they deliver fruits, vegetables and occasionally furniture or we should say that is what they used to do because if you've read the newspaper reports these brothers are nothing more than gun wielding thugs who car jacked an Orange Walk Resident.
Paul Munnings,
"We feel like the most bad lucked people right now because everybody who does transactions selling vehicle and things they get their money that they ask for and I don't know why this case had to transpire like this."
And what happened to the Munnings brothers is that they spent 6 weeks in jail for armed robbery. And they say this all started innocently enough when they tried to sell their F150 pickup truck.
Derrick Munnings,
"We were tying to sell our F150 pickup truck for a while. It was a 8 cylinder pickup and we knew it would be hard selling it in Belize City because of gas price and everything. We were informed by friends and relatives that the best place to sell the truck would be someone out-district with connections to cheaper gas price. So the first person who came up and expressed interest we jumped on it right away."
The brothers found a buyer who was willing to pay the $7,000 for the pickup. The only problem is that when they got to August Pine Ridge village the buyer only had $2,000.
Derrick Munnings,
"The guy called us and told us don't worry about foul play or anything like that, we will get our money. Next week we went up there and he gave us this Ford Ranger 1991 and he told us this will be our collateral and just hold it."
In fact Derrick and his brother drove it down to the city and it became their new delivery truck.
Derrick Munnings,
"We had this truck from April and we continued doing our business that we usually do with our F150 pickup truck, selling fruits and taking out lumber and furniture from the Mennonites on North Front Street. Now Friday June 3rd we were arrested on North Front Street saying that this vehicle is in the investigation of auto theft."
Derrick and Paul were arrested on the spot and taken to Queen Street and then to Orange Walk where they were charged with armed robbery. They were denied bail and held at the Hattieville Prison until early July when a Supreme Court judge finally granted them bail.
Paul Munnings,
"We did not have any firearm and we did not use any force to get this vehicle from this man. This man gave this vehicle to us and also the story that he gave was fabricated in a form of desperation obtain back his truck."
Keith Swift,
So there was no carjacking?
Derrick Munnings,
"No it never happened."
Keith Swift,
Why would he make this up?
Derrick Munnings,
"He made up this story probably like I said in desperation to return his truck. That is not what transpired at all. He just had no means of paying us."
And so these brothers have no truck and they are also out of work since they have no truck, and even if they did......there aren't many people who would want accused carjackers delivering their furniture. They say the system failed them.
Derrick Munnings,
"Right now we have no truck and right now we are fighting a case without a lawyer because we have no money for a lawyer and the charges are based on false allegations made on us."
Paul and Derrick Munnings are scheduled to reappear in court on August 23rd. 7NEWS has independently verified that while police reported to the media that the Munnings brothers were picked up at a checkpoint in Orange Walk on June 4th, they were in fact picked up in Belize City on June 3rd on North Front Street. That flies in the face of what police reported and Press Officer G. Michael Reid would only say that the case is before the court and he cannot comment on it. As the Munnings brothers' said their F150 pickup is still in possession of the August Pine Ridge villager.
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited and Prepared for the internet by Keith Swift
