From 2010 to 2020 - there have been 125 or less murders only 5 times.
2021 came in right at 125 - which is certainly no cause for celebration - but, it at least starts a trend away from the all time high of 143 murders in 2018.
But still 125 murders is a lot - more than a country of only 400,000 residents should have. And many of those killings last year were out of the norm - kids being shot, bodies of a couple being found, an ambush out at sea, and several double murders. Many of these incidents had innocent victims who could have never guessed their lives would end in such a cruel way. Courtney Menzies took a look back at some of the most shocking murders of 2021. Here is that story.
This chart from the Belize Crime Observatory puts the total number of murders for the first 11 months of 2021 at 115. Ten more murders in the month of December meant that 2021 ended with 125 total men, women, and children who were killed at the hands of others. And while that number isn't as high as previous years, that's still 125 families who are left grieving.
Like the family of 45-year-old Omar Kantun, who was stabbed 56 times allegedly by his common-law wife in March. The usually tranquil Silk Grass community was shocked at the violent crime but not surprised at who the suspect was since they constantly saw the couple arguing - and the wife berating the victim.
And another instance of domestic violence took place back in May, when an innocent mother and toddler were burnt up after her ex set their house on fire. 36-year-old Kendra Middleton thought it was a miracle that she was able to have a child - but his young life was cut short at three years after his mother's tumultuous and violent three month relationship with the alleged arsonist, Demas Mendez.
And in August, another child and her mother were allegedly killed by her mother's common-law husband. 37-year-old Arilee Young and 17-year-old Sherane Cardenas were at home when, around 3am, Young's husband, 26-year-old Glenford Perriot came home abruptly from his security job and reportedly shot them both before turning the gun on himself.
And just like those victims, 33-year-old Jennifer Archila and 12-year-old Nitzia Catzim were also murdered by Archila's common-law husband. Except in this case, 28-year-old Brian Castillo viciously stabbed the mother and daughter before escaping to Guatemala with his 7-year-old son.
Another double murder that shocked the families of the victims was when the discarded bodies of 48-year-old Leticia Frankel and her husband, 62-year-old Mark Frankel, were found off the John Smith Road. The couple had disappeared and a search party eventually found their vehicle parked in a strange area, which eventually led them to the bodies. Up to now, there are still questions over who killed them, and why.
Then later in the year, another double murder in Burrell Boom racked that community, since the victims were completely innocent. 21-year-old Kendra Miguel worked as a cashier at a store in the village, and Dennis Brown was the handyman. They were at work as usual when a gunman came and opened fire - and reports are it was in retaliation for a previous murder that these victims had no involvement in.
And while these innocents were young - the youngest victim of gun violence for 2021 was 9-year-old Jamir Mckoy. The little standard three student was at his mother's food shack in Unitedville when he and his friend, 18-year-old Lloyd Myvette, were fatally shot. Young Jamir bravely held on to life for a day - and even named his shooter - before he eventually succumbed.
But he wasn't the only minor to be senselessly gunned down. 15-year-olds Kassman Gill and Dwayne Gabourel were both shot a little over a month apart. The stories of both SJC third formers were eerily similar - both had just left home when they were targeted. In Kassman's case, he was shot going to a friend's home and held on for 52 days before passing away. Dwayne, on the other hand, was shot in the head and while the boy dubbed "a humble giant" kept breathing for a little while longer, he could not survive the bullet. Both boys were said to be mistaken for the actual targets.
And while those children had their lives cut short, another child will be traumatized for a long time after witnessing her father being shot at close range. The entire community of Santa Familia were in a rage after BDF officer, Private Raheem Valencio, killed his fellow officer, 29-year-old Private Jessie Escobar. The surveillance video of this shooting went viral - everyone saw when the officer pulled the trigger after a brief argument. Valencio was eventually arraigned for murder.
And while Escobar was killed by his BDF brother, 25-year-old Jerry Espat's brother were forced to abandon him at sea after they came under fire. The four Esbat brothers were diving for conch when two boats ambushed them. Two of the brothers were chased by one of the boats, while the third brother hid under the bow of the boat, watching the bullets shoot past him into the water. When he surfaced again, he saw his little brother dead in the water.
And a wife also saw when her husband was executed back in November. 50-year-old Anil Asnaney was shot in the head as he came out of Sumathi Restaurant on Baymen Avenue. He died on the spot and the gruesome video of his wife giving him CPR while nursing her own gunshot wound made its rounds on WhatsApp. But that family didn't grieve alone - the entire Indian and Albert Street community were stricken by this murder.
And those are only 12 out of the 125 callous and cold-blooded murders of 2021. But what's most alarming is that 13 of that total were minors - kids, all under the age of 18. 11 of those children were lost to gun violence, one was stabbed, and the youngest - 3 years old - was killed in a domestic arson.
