She turned 35 on Saturday but Soila Ramclam Xiu never really got to celebrate her birthday. That is because in the wee hours of Saturday morning she was fatally shot in her chest. The shooter was her boyfriend – a Venezuelan businessman – 42 year old Jorge Pinzon. He told police that at 4 am, after a night of partying, he was clearing his licensed 9 milimeter pistol when it accidentally went off. Soila, who was sitting in front of him, was hit in the chest. Pinzon says he put her into the pan of his pickup and sped to the PG Hospital. But on the way from his home in Indianville area of PG to the hospital he crashed into a lamppost. He got another vehicle and reached the PG Hospital after she was transferred by ambulance to the Southern Regional Hospital in Dangriga. She died on the way there. Piznon was immediately detained.
A post mortem on Soila Ramclam was conducted this afternoon in Belize City but before those crucial results, Punta Gorda police went ahead and charged Piznon with manslaughter. He was arraigned and released ion bail. And that happened from this morning – which has outraged Soila Ramclam’s family members who believe the shooting wasn’t an accident, it was murder and that the police were too hasty to bring the lesser charge.
Charles Ramclam, Brother of Deceased
“So far we only heard that she got shot and that she died. We haven’t gotten any information from the police otherwise. We were not even called when
she got shot or when she was sent to Dangriga. We only heard that she died on her way to Dangriga.”
Keith Swift,
The story is that her boyfriend was clearing his gun. Does the family believe that story?
Charles Ramclam,
“For one, I don’t know if that was her boyfriend and I cannot understand why anybody would be clearing their gun at that time of the morning. I saw his gun before and his gun was always in a holster and the safety lock was always on so I don’t see why it would be out and he would be clearing it at that time of the morning.”
Keith Swift,
The police are also saying it was an accident. Do you agree?
Charles Ramclam,
“Well I am still here trying to get the post mortem done so I cannot see how this man will get charged for manslaughter when they haven’t gotten the post mortem done. I think they need the post mortem to kind of decide what charges should be placed on that man. That man is out there walking free and I am still waiting on the post mortem on my sister.”
Keith Swift,
So you don’t believe it was an accident?
Charles Ramclam,
“It is not an accident and I don’t believe it is an accident and I don’t believe he should be walking out free.”
So why did police charge Jorge Pinzon before the results of a post mortem? Well Punta Gorda Police say they did so on direction of the Director of Public Prosecutions. They add that if they hadn’t charged Jorge Pinzon, he would have been on the street because under the law, e had to have either been charged or released today, because of the 48 hour rule. Police say that all evidence does point to an accident and if the post mortem says otherwise, the charge can be upgraded. Soila Ramclam is a mother of 4 and she is married but separated from her husband.
