Laddie Gillett's alleged killer, Corporal Kareem Martinez, is out on bail tonight after receiving what has, quite incredibly, become 2021's most controversial charge of Manslaughter - more so even than the Jasmine Hartin - Henry Jemmott case.
Here's what went down at court this morning when I headed to Belmopan's magistrate's court.
This was the moment that Corporal Kareem Martinez, alleged killer of Laddie Gillett exited Belmopan's magistrate court. He's flanked on all sides by his police force brothers as well as a female relative who blocked the media.
And as we attempted to question him. This officer pushed me right into our camera.
Reporter
"Mr. Martinez, you have any remorse?"
And with that, the cops whisked him into this car and away from the court.
And earlier that morning we got Laddie's Guardian, Emil Bradley's, reaction to an extremely controversial charge of manslaughter.
Emil Bradley, Guardian of the deceased
"Killing a soul, taking the life of someone that is right? No no."
"All I can say it's not what I was expecting we asked, we've waited, we wanted justice, I mean manslaughter I don't see it as a charge fittable, I mean his action I mean, from a trained body a disciplined body and your allowed to carry a firearm at least you should have some level of training to know that from the time you pick up a firearm and point it at somebody and you pull the trigger, you could kill someone this is not a toy, you could kill them. So from the time he picked up this gun and aimed after this kid and pulled the trigger, that was the intention. Don't tell me that is not intentional. If he had tripped and then it went off and it shot him that's different, I mean, as you trained justifiable force, where is that. If he had shot from the bottom downwards, you could have said he didn't intend to kill him but just by pulling it all the way in his back, it's unacceptable and these are the things that make people get rawty and get out of hand and do things differently, I'm trying to keep my calm and things together for right now but if it continues on like this, no it won't. From the backgound I would have expect at least murder. I mean let the judge decide, not Miss Cheryl-Lynn, let the judge decide what he deserves - jump to a conclusion right away to manslaughter. And this is what is getting people frustrated in this country, because of your political status or your status in society, you do things and you get away which is wrong, and especially the policeman, so who should we look for if he doesn't feel free again, with our own security forces. You're even afraid to go out into the street as a black kid, you don't even want to go on the street, police just pull you over and shoot you, we don't want Belize to get like that, but it will get to some point if we are not receiving justice. For how long can we do this. This is what we want in Belize, no."
Cherisse Halsall:
"Sir I agree with you that this is a peaceful country but one of the reasons it is is because people don't take sufficient action and there are obvious racial undertones here, if it was two white boys on that beach do you think the police would have been called that quickly."
Emil Bradley, Guardian of the deceased
"I don't know they said they received information from the security guard, I don't know if he would have called the police."
"It's just hard for me the way how it happened and then people don't want to accept responsibility for their actions. All he needs to do is come out say, even if he's not sorry just say sorry to all Laddie's family and friends, say my action wasn't right it wasn't my intention to kill him, and it's done. We can forgive people. To live what that kind of energy it's not something nice against somebody but at least come out and own up to your wrongdoings."
"I don't know if he's sorry and I haven't talked to him, when I'll know if he's sorry or not is when he goes and depends on what he pleas."
And the man who is making the decision on what that plea will be is Attorney Hurl Hamilton. This morning he told the press why he believes that his client is eligible for bail.
Hurl Hamilton, Attorney-At-Law
"No plea was taken as this is an indictable matter or a Supreme Court matter. The police will do their investigation or the police will continue to do their investigation so let the process be. Let's give Kareem Martinez due process."
"These are the charges that were proffered or is the charge that was proffered and we plan to defend it. Let me just say everybody is entitled to due process. Everybody is innocent until proven guilty under the Belize Constitution, let's give the process a chance. The court will decide whether Mr. Martinez is guilty or not guilty, but let us not jump to the conclusion based on what we are hearing or what we've known so far. Give the process a chance, and he will have his day at court and he will answer to this charge."
Cherisse Halsall:
"I know you said you can't really answer that charge for your client but at the same time this man shot a child in his back, should that person now be able to go home and be with his family when that child's family will never have that privilege again?"
Hurl Hamilton, Attorney-At-Law
"Let me, a child, life has been lost, more so a child. Condolences to the family, but we have to be fair as well, we don't know under what circumstances the child has died. The child has died, it is regrettable, condolences to the family, but for us to run to a conclusion, jump to a conclusion and say well he died because of this or he died because of that, all I am saying give the process a chance. We don't know and its regrettable. I cannot over emphasize the point. A life has been lost, it's terrible, but is anybody to blame who to blame, we don't know, the court will decide that and Mr. Martinez will be given an opportunity to properly defend himself when that day comes."
And while no one knows when that day will come. We do know that Martinez's next court date will take place on October 18th in Dangriga's magistrate's court.
Until then Martinez is on the outside where he returns to his community of Seine Bight, and with the whole country incensed over the death of Laddie Gillett, one has to wonder whether this court-issued liberty will bring Martinez, now poised to become a public pariah, any freedom of all.
Martinez was arraigned for one count of manslaughter in the sum of $8,000. His next court date is October 18th.
Martinez has been placed on interdiction.
