Caye Caulker Police had initially detained one Claudio Gongora for the brutal attack and robbery of two Canadian women on the island on Monday but one day after being in police custody Gongora was released. Still, the case remains very much opened; and police today charged a 22 year old for trying to kill sixty six year old Sofia Stefaniw and fifty five year old Valerie Walker. He has been identified as twenty Aaron Adolphus, a resident of the New Site Area in Caye Caulker. Aaron Adolphus has been slapped with several charges including two counts of robbery, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of deadly means of harm and two counts of dangerous harm.
On Monday Sofia Stefaniw who had only arrived in the country twenty four hours earlier was supposed to have spent one week with her long time friend Valerie Walker who resides in Caye Caulker. On Tuesday Stefaniw told 7NEWS that she and Walker had just returned to her friend’s house when man bolted from the bushes and held them up. That man police now say is Aaron Adolphus and he was allegedly armed with a knife and machete. He reportedly demanded
money and then used his weapons to stab and chop the women to the left side of their neck.
Walker was treated and released but Stephaniw who was more seriously hurt was flown by chopper to Belize City where she remains hospitalized at Belize Health Care Partners Limited. On Tuesday she told us that she saw her attacker.
Sofia Stefaniw,
“I noticed his eyes, they were just and I remember seeing the machete come across my neck.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
And there was no reason for him to have done that, you were willing to give up everything.
Sofia Stefaniw,
“Yes.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
How are you doing right now?
Sofia Stefaniw,
“Umm I am just in shock I guess. How am I doing? I would have preferred for this not to have happened. God willing, I will recover, it will take a while for the swelling to go down and, but as far as the doctors are saying, it is just a matter of time to heal.”
Sofia Stefaniw was scheduled to return to Canada on Sunday of course all of that now relies on what the hospital decides. Police investigations reveal that all Aaron Adolphus managed to steal from the women was a single fifty U.S. dollar note. But in court today he was arraigned on a total of eight charges: two counts of robbery upon the two women; two counts of use of deadly means of harm; two counts of dangerous harm and two counts of attempted murder. Due to the nature of the crime, Adolphus was remanded into custody and is due back in court on March 4.
