A teenager accused of conspiring with his stepmother to murder his own father was yesterday convicted along with the hit man he hired. After two hours of deliberations, a jury in the northern session of the Supreme Court found Sharim Baeza guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. Police say Giovanni Villanueva was the triggerman and he was convicted of murder while Javier Villanueva was found guilty of abetment to murder for attempting to hire a hit man.
The victim is 34-year-old Wilfredo Baeza who was killed inside his home in Corozal in July of 2003. Baeza, who only had one leg, was found inside the shower in his bathroom with bullet wounds to his head and back. Police originally said the murder was planned by Wilfredo's common-law wife Tomasa Villanueva and his then fifteen-year-old son Sharim Baeza and it was executed by Tomasa's brother Giovanni. Baeza confessed to police and the case against Tomasa never made it to trial.
During the trial, the now 18-year-old Sharim took the witness stand and told the court he confessed because police were beating him. The Villanuevas didn't take the stand. All three will be sentenced on October 17th.
