Last year, there were only 3 murders in Orange Walk Town, a drastic decrease from the 13 it recorded for 2012. And there had not been a murder there since September….until last night, when the peace was disturbed with an execution-style killing of 33 year old Stephen Kuylen Jr.
Police don't know how his assailants managed to lure him outside, but death met him in his yard beside his house. 7News went to Orange Walk to find out the circumstances surrounding his murder. Daniel Ortiz reports:
Daniel Ortiz Reporting
At around 9:30 last night, 31 year-old Steven Kuylen Jr. lay dead inside his yard, right next to his house. He'd been shot in the head about a half an hour earlier in an ambush attack executed with precision.
His house was in a secluded area in the Pasadita area, and though his yard was fenced in, his assailants managed to gain entry to the compound. When he stepped outside, he was ambushed and killed.
Inspector Julius Cantun - Deputy OC, Orange Walk Police
"Orange Walk police received information of a shooting incident in the Pasadita area of Orange Walk Town. As a result, a team of police officers were dispatched to 6th Street, in that Pasadita area, where they visited the resident Stephen Kuylen Jr., 31 years of age, a Belizean Customs Broker of that said address. On arrival, the police made checks, and they found the motionless body of Mr. Stephen Kuylen lying face-up in the yard of that location. Police were able to see what appeared to be gunshot injuries to the left cheek of the victim. further checks what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the left temple area of the victim."
From the layout of the area, Kuylen's assailants had ample cover of darkness and escape routes. It makes for a difficult crime scene, and more importantly, eyewitnesses would have major difficulties with possible identification.
Inspector Julius Cantun
"Initial investigation is that Mr. Kuylen had arrived home some time earlier, before this incident, and at about 8:40-8:45 p.m., the neighbours heard gunshots being fired in the general direction of Mr. Kuylen's residence. It was then that checks were made, and they disovered the lifeless body Kuylen. They police also received information that shortly after the gunshots were heard, the neighbours saw 2 persons running away from the house of the now-deceased."
The investigation is in its early stages, and so police don't have a motive identified for the crime.
Inspector Julius Cantun
"The motive is not yet ascertained, and we're looking into different possibilities, at different theories, in regards to the death of Mr. Kuylen. Certainly, we're looking at in regards to their his profession as a customs broker, and we're looking at the aspect of his acquintances and his personal life. So, thus far, there is no motive that has been ascertained to us the Police, but we're still working on it."
And so while police work on all possible angles, theories are being thrown all about in Orange Walk. The one thing that observers can agree on is that the execution of this killing has elements of careful planning.
Inspector Julius Cantun
"From the information that we gathered, yes, this was an ambush, and this was an execution-style murder. So, yes, we suspect that the assailants had access, or had entered the yard of the gentlemen to execute the crime. It's also a possibility that he stepped out of the confines of his home to the yard, where he was executed because he might known somebody who had called him out, or there are other ways and means to get somebody out of their house without him suspecting that something is waiting for there. So, we are not certain."
There are several important things to note. First, Kuylen is a customs broker who worked with his father and sister in Corozal Town; that's also where he grew up. Next, he has been separated from his wife, who lives in Corozal, for about a year now. His current girlfriend, Farrah Marchand, was married before they started a relationship; Marchand is now divorced from her ex-husband. Before this tragedy, Kuylen and Marchand were expecting their first child. Orange Walk Police have said that they will investigate all elements of his personal and professional life to try to find out the motive for his murder. They have identified one person who they are trying to locate for questioning.
Kuylen's cellular phone and his licensed 9mm weapon were missing when his body was discovered. Police believe that they were stolen by the killers after they shot him.
