Thirteen - that is the number of years Police Constable Sheldon Arzu will spend in jail for killing a man inside a police station. A jury convicted Arzu on November 24th of manslaughter for the June 2003 shooting death of Reuben "Pony" Alarcon. Last Thursday Arzu's primary school principal Dale Guzman and the Police Department Chaplain Dinsdale Thompson both begged for leniency in sentencing. Today Justice Troadio Gonzalez told Arzu he had no justification to give him the maximum of life in prison because it is his first offense, but given the severity of the offense, 13 years seemed appropriate.
Today's sentencing brought to an end an emotional two year search for justice by Pony's family. But his common-law wife Briony Ysguierre says even justice is no consolation for losing Pony.
Briony Ysaguirre, Pony's Common-law Wife
"I think basically he got a sentence and I think justice can never bring back the person that we loved. I strongly believe, and I hope that the thirteen years that he got, that he will think about what he did because he did not just kill a person, he robbed a family of somebody that really loved us. I just hope that his action will not come back to the same thing when he is let out in the public. I wouldn't want to see any woman in this circumstances that I am in, or any family in this circumstance. Its very terrible, its hard to deal with and basically getting over it emotionally, there is no getting over it emotionally; it will live with you forever."
Keith Swift,
You were emotional after the verdict.
Briony Ysaguirre,
"I was very emotional because everything came back in my mind, the two years that me and Reuben had spent in Caye Caulker. Its very hurtful and its very sad to have to live with the reality that he is dead and gone and the person responsible for it is going to do thirteen years and has a chance to live and has a chance to be with his family whereby his (Pony) was never given that opportunity."
Lunette Alarcon, Pony's Sister
"We will have to accept whatever, we accept whatever. At least it is better than nothing at all so we are quite all right. My sister and everybody, we are alright with that because we were prepared for that anyhow."
Keith Swift,
You said the family was looking for justice. Do you feel today that the family got justice?
Lunette Alarcon,
"Yep. It took us 2 years and six months to find it. We were right behind it from the beginning so we feel quite satisfied; quite satisfied."
Arzu began serving his 13-year sentence today. He has 21 days to appeal. Arzu had been on interdiction since his arrest and was receiving half pay but now he is officially off the Police Department's payroll.
In delivering his sentence, Justice Gonzalez admonished Police Sergeant Gilbert Pitts who was the officer in charge of the Caye Caulker station at the time of the incident. Gonzalez says there was "no rhyme or reason" for Pitts, a senior officer, to leave Constable Arzu, a junior officer, to deal with the volatile situation. He noted that it's unfortunate that Pitts can't be punished.
