Like most people his age, 20-year-old Corozal resident Kenny Elidor Ramirez probably planned to spend tonight bringing in the new year at a party. But he won’t, because this young man is dead. He was murdered in Corozal Town this weekend. And while the tragedy of his death is taking its toll on his family, the curious circumstances of the killing has also puzzled police. I went north today to find out why this murder is a genuine mystery.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
_This was suppose to have been the last working week for twenty year old Kenny Elidor Ramirez, a two year employee of the princess Casino in the Corozal District but twelve hours after his Saturday shift, the young man’s body is discovered by his female roommate inside their one bedroom apartment on Ninth Street in Corozal Town. It was lying faced up on the bathroom Floor
Elsie Garrido, Sister of Murder Victim
“They knock him… He has one knock here, they beat him here and he has a next one here. And then the stab wounds? Yes and he had a towel right her eat his neck. It looked like the person who stabbed him, he put the towel to cover the stab so like it does not show and right there is where the blood is because no blood is there. It looks like the person who did that knows what he did because we no see nothing.”
It is believed Ramirez who had placed the towel around his neck was about to take a shower when someone knocked on the back door. When police visited the crime scene they did not observe any visible sign of a forced entry. That makes them believe the killer knew his victim and more than likely was even invited into residence. According to the Officer in charge of the Corozal police station Superintendent Joseph Myvett the last time Ramirez who lives next door to his sister and brother in law was last seen alive around eleven on Saturday night.
Supt. Joseph Myvett, O.C – Corozal Police Station
“Upon our arrival at the scene we checked the doors and observed that there was absolutely no sign of a forced entry. The body was found just inside on the bathroom floor of the one bedroom
apartment.”
Ramirez had been stabbed twice in the abdomen. There were no signs of a struggle and everything appeared to be intact. In fact his roommate’s jewelry were still on the bedroom’s bureau. 7NEWS understands that among the evidence collected was shirt the police found among the victim’s dirty laundry. Someone had cut out a piece of the clothing that cops later found in a trash bin with what appeared to be bloodstains.
Darrel Ramirez, Brother of murder victim
“He cannot fight or nothing because he has never been in trouble been into trouble. He is a very quiet person. He has never been into this violence or fighting or so but it is so sad.”
Corozal police say neighbors recall hearing sounds coming from Ramirez’s apartment as if someone was in pain around two on Sunday morning. Six hours later he is found dead around eight that morning by his roommate and co-worker who had returned home from her night shift.
Supt. Joseph Myvette,
“Certainly we do not have a motive at this time but we are following several leads.”
One of those leads is the report that Ramirez was gay and was probably killed by an intimate friend
The Ramirez family say they nothing about their brother’s lifestyle but believe the motive is robbery and they also have a strong suspicion of who killed their loved one.
Darrel Ramirez,
“What happened is not fair. It is not fair because I work for my money, I don’t thief from anyone, you come to kill me for my own money. I don’t
think that is fair. I don’t think that is fair but the police know, the police know that we are going to give them as much information as we have.”
Elsie Garrido,
“His wallet is not in his bag and his cell phone was not in his bag and he always carry his cell phone. Police search all in the room and the cell has not appeared.”
Darrel Ramirez,
“Kenny says in my understanding, my family says that he was saving money to do a trip. I don’t know if he told that person that he was saving this money for this trip to Cancun so that is the reason I think this person knows Kenny and Kenny knows this person. That is the reason he was killed, he got killed for his own money.”
The family says Ramirez was saving money to relocate to Cancun, Mexico where he already gotten employment.
Darrel Ramirez,
“There is a person who knows him and he knows that person. Everybody knows each other so our family knows who more or less went and did this. I don’t know if the police is aware of it.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Have you contacted the police with this information?
Darrel Ramirez,
“Yes we’ve already called the police and the person who is in charge of the case.”
Supt. Joseph Myvette,
“We have one person in custody and we are appealing to the public if there is any information out there that can assist us, please call us and we will follow up on all leads.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
I know no charges as yet has been levied against anyone so you all are not at liberty to release this person’s name, who you have in custody, but is he a strong suspect?
Supt. Joseph Myvette,
“At this time we would want to say so. We have several witnesses that have placed him within that area sometime during the course of the night.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Is he an acquaintance of the victim, a friend of the victim, a co-worker?
Supt. Joseph Myvette,
“Not to our knowledge.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So he does not know the victim?
Supt. Joseph Myvette,
“I would not be able to say at this point in time whether or not he knows the victim but he is not known to have an acquaintance with the victim.”
The family has since placed a lighted candle, a wooden crucifix and a glass of holy water at the spot where their son and brother was murdered.
Darrel Ramirez,
“He is a quiet person. He is not a trouble maker. He always stays inside. He doesn’t fool with anyone. Its difficult to us that we heard on the news that this happened and it is hard to understand, very hard to understand.”
It is truly the saddest day for Paulina Ramirez who turned fifty three years old and is now having a difficult getting prepared to bury her son on New Year’s Day.
This is the ninth murder in Corozal since April – and the majority of them have been from stab wounds and the majority have been the result of family disputes.
