Tonight our lead story is about a murder so savage and brutal that it almost defies classification. Early this morning - a 70 year security guard was beaten to death with a crowbar during a robbery of a construction store in Orange Walk Town. Our team traveled up North today to find out what happened and Andrea Polanco has the report.
The lifeless body of 70 year old Paulo Diaz - was found lying in this corner. With this black drum - weighing 100 lbs - on top of his face. His was viciously beaten with a crowbar to the head. Diaz who was a security guard at San Isidro Construction Company was attacked around 1:30 this morning - During an arm robbery at the establishment.
Today we spoke with Ramon Cervantes, owner of the construction store. He told us what he understand happened last night.
Ramon Cervantes, Owner of San Isidro Construction
"The alarm rang about 1:29 am, my son got here about 1:35 am when he call me, so I must have gotten here about 1:50 am or somewhere around there. Then we waited for the police. My son had already been in the office to check because he couldn't get a response from the watchman so he went to the office then he saw that the window blinds to the office were off. He suspected something, he saw a crowbar on the secretary's desk so he just held on to that and went back outside because he thought that he leave it there if the man is in there he would come behind him and hit him. When we got here he was already outside waiting for me and then we both waited for the police right here because we knew he couldn't go out from the other side, it could have only been where he went in."
Monica Bodden
"Through this side door."
Ramon Cervantes, Owner of San Isidro Construction
"Through this side door yes."
Monica Bodden
"At that time you guys notice where the security was or?"
Ramon Cervantes, Owner of San Isidro Construction
"No we didn't see where the security was until the police came and we open the gate for them to come in and that's when I was trying to see where is the watchman or his dog at least. The gate was close and the small gate which the watchman would usually take a round was lock as well so I said well something must have happen. Then I walk around here and I saw just the tip of his feet covered with a white sheet, so I said that he must be dead and I saw a dark spot on the ground which I thought would be blood."
The robbers entered through this side door and made their way to the office, which was locked at the time. Three of the louvers from this window were removed to help unlock the door - that was when the alarm went off and that was when the police were called for help but it seems they were out on another call, which Cervantes believes was to get the police out of the area for the robbery to take place:
Ramon Cervantes, Owner of San Isidro Construction
"If anything goes on like what happen last night my son immediately call me and call the police, but they told me that the police was at Carmelita Village at that time and they say that they have receive a call about 20 minutes before so it must have been a set up for them to delay the police from reaching here."
Monica Bodden
"They receive a call 20 minutes in Carmelita Village for a fire?"
Ramon Cervantes, Owner of San Isidro Construction
"A report that was in Carmelita, I don't know if it happen from Carmelita or what but they told them that there was a fire in Carmelita, why the police? Why not the fire engine?"
We caught up with his grieving son at the morgue.
Garinel Diaz, Son of Deceased
"He is a watchman in San Isidro. At 1:30 in the morning his boss went to notify me (on San Francisco Street) that my father had an accident and I didn't pay mind to him. He told me it's urgent and I saw the boss crying and I asked him what happened and he said "they killed your father". I didn't believe him. I went to my other sister, where he stays, to see if he was lying. The police asked me who is the elder son and I told him it's me. He told me I can go and see him and I saw him with two deep wounds on his head and one near his lips."
Andrea Polanco
"You don't know why he was killed? Was they trying to rob the place?"
Garinel Diaz, Son of Deceased
"I think they went in to rob San Isidro because they broke a part of the door, but the building has an alarm system and when they heard the alarm they ran out of the building, but they went upstairs because they saw prints on the steps. I told the police that it looks like more than one person did it. When I went to see my father I saw his coffee was still hot. I think he was drinking tea or coffee and he had some bread. Right now they say they have one suspect and if they don't detain him today, they will detain him later."
This is establishment has been robbed about two times before and this time the robbers left off empty handed.
Orange Walk police are still investigating this incident. Paulo Diaz was an employee of San Isidro Construction Company for over 3 years.
