There was a brutal murder this morning in Orange Walk. 44 year old Enrique Castillo was found dead around 9 this morning inside his home on the Belize-Corozal Road in Orange Walk Town. He had been beaten to death with a baseball bat and his throat was cut with a kitchen knife. It is a horrible murder and police say they know who did it. But why? - was it robbery or was it because of Enrique Castillo’s lifestyle? Keith Swift went to Orange Walk to find answers.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This dramatic video is from the inside Enrique Castillo’s home where blood was everywhere - the bedroom, the bathroom, but principally in the kitchen in which the tiles, appliances, and counters were covered in blood. And it is in
the kitchen this morning that the 44 year old’s family found him dead and in the nude.
Antonette Young, Sister of Deceased
“I came by this morning at about 9:15 and when I came by I normally would knock on his bedroom window and would call out his name and he would answer me on the second call and he would get up and open the door. But this morning when I came, I did the same and I didn’t hear a response. So the kitchen was opened and I peeped in there and when I peeped in there I saw the faucet was running and blood all over the sink.”
Orquidi Castillo, Brother of Deceased
“My wife immediately called me and I informed them to call the police. So I was here just as the police was arriving and I was the one that walked in and saw him in his own house brutally murdered in no different term.”
Antonette Young,
“There was blood all over the house. The house was upside down and he was murdered. My brother is dead.”
Orquidi Castillo,
“He was killed. In a nutshell he was killed. Murdered, slaughtered
– how could I put it? In no different way, it was a bloody mess. His throat was slashed.”
Ric – as his family and friends called him – lived alone in the two bedroom bungalow in Orange Walk but worked in Caye Chapel. He returned home yesterday and his sister in law last saw him alive partying around midnight.
Estella August, Sister in Law of Victim
“He came in yesterday and he normally parties when he comes in right at his house. So peeped at the window because I heard music and I saw him dancing with two guys, I don’t really want to call their names right now, and that was like after 12. We went back to bed and we didn’t hear anything until this morning.”
Keith Swift,
And these people he was partying with, they were his usual friends?
Estella August,
“No they are his friends.”
Keith Swift,
So there were no suspicious guys?
Estella August,
“No because he normally parties his friends but right at home.”
Enrique Castillo’s house was ransacked. His jewellery, his cell phone, his money were call stolen. So robbery appears to be the motive but his family says you also have to consider his sexual preference and the fact that he may have been killed by someone he knew.
Antonette Young,
“He was a good brother. In spite of his sexual preferences or anything, I mean he was a brother, a good brother and it is so sad that he was murdered
this way. His attackers, it was two of them. We know it was two of them, my brother is a big hefty guy and one person he would have handled. But two of them and he died a brutal death. My brother yes was a homosexual, he had people who cared for him, he had friends all over the place and the ones that did it to him knew him. There was no forced entry and apparently one of them had some type of relationship with him and this was not a hate crime. This was just malicious.”
Keith Swift,
You said it was someone he had a relationship with so could it have been domestic?
Antonette Young,
“No it wouldn’t have been a domestic because my brother lived with no one. He was free, he was single but he had friends.”
Keith Swift,
You think someone who knew him did this?
Estella August,
“Yeah I guess they wanted money because he brought money home with him last night because I know.”
The police agree.
DC Jeffrey Williams, Lead Investigator
“It shows so far that robbery, some items were stolen from the house and again we know that there was a indoor party at that house.”
Keith Swift,
How many people were at that party?
DC Jeffrey Williams,
“We believe that there were four persons we understand so far but there could be more.”
Keith Swift,
So the person who killed him is somebody he knew?
DC Jeffrey Williams,
“Definitely someone he knew.”
Keith Swift,
What’s this person’s relationship to Mr. Castillo?
DC Jeffrey Williams,
“There is no specific relation but we understand that they see each
other on a daily basis as they relatively live beside each other as neighbours. We understand from some eyewitnesses that there are two persons that left the area. So apparently there could be another person that joined the party afterwards.”
Keith Swift,
Have you found the murder weapon?
DC Jeffrey Williams,
“We believe, our initial investigations revealed so far that it likely could be two items that were used to cause the fatal to Mr. Castillo. One we suspect a wooden baseball bat and second a sharp object, probably a knife to slit his throat.”
A brutal death for a man everyone loved.
Orquidi Castillo,
“He was good to each and every one, to anybody, and sometimes I think too good and that is the sad part.”
Antonette Young,
“Whoever did this to my brother will get it, we will find them, and I pray that this will be a wakeup call. As my brother said, justice will prevail.”
So police tonight are searching for Nimrod Tillett. Anyone with information can call the nearest police station. Police though still believe he is in the Orange Walk District hiding. We should note that while Castillo’s sister discussed the gay angle – police say it is not part of their consideration since robbery seems to have been the only motive. A post mortem will be conducted on Enrique Castillo next week. He worked as the food and beverage manager at the Caye Chapel Resort. We understand he might have had as much as three thousand dollars on him.
