And while Bowens and the Ramnarace brothers were the last murders of 2022, the first murder of 2023 took place in Belize City, right on Central American Boulevard. 24-year-old Lionel Budna was shot right before he arrived at his home - a little after midnight - and bled out in the middle of the street.
But according to his family, Budna was not a troublemaker - on the contrary, he was a young cook who had just started working in the kitchen at the Riverside Tavern.
Now, those closest to him are asking, who would do this, and why?
Only 30 minutes into the New Year, Belize recorded its first murder and the victim is 24-year-old Lionel Budna. He was heading home on the Central American Boulevard on his bicycle when, only a couple lanes away, he was gunned down.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Budna was killed on New Year's morning on Central American Boulevard near its junction with Faber's Road. And again apparently he was out there with some friends when gunmen came from out of the Muslim School compound and opened fire at him. He was taken to the hospital and again, he was pronounced dead on arrival. So that matter likewise is being investigated. We believe it's gang related, at this time we don't have a suspect."
After he was shot, he tried running away, but ended up collapsing on the median.
And now, his home, only a stone's throw away from the crime scene, sports a black bow as his family mourns. According to his sister-in-law, Budna was not known to cause problems - he just wanted to work and make money.
Prunella White, Sister-in-law
"For him to get shot, that is a no no to me. Because he was not a bad person, he was a working person from work to home, never a trouble person or anything like that. He's into his family, when he get the time, he would say, P, let's go up to mama, let's go hail my sister, my nephew and my niece. All that that young boy does is work to try to make his life better. So I don't know why, that's my question, why they shot him?"
"He is a person, any one can ask him for anything and he will give, even if it's his last. He will give and he look out for anybody, so I don't know why they did it."
"It really left me puzzled and shocked when I heard the news because to be honest with you, he came Christmas time and he came to tell me, gyal sis, I'm happy, I got promoted, you made me get promoted, but this week I will collect my thing and then I will look out for you this week."
"Then this is just a collapse to him and to me and he was so excited because he loves the kitchen. His supervisor call and said, P, he remind me of you when you were there. He cook that nice coconut milk rice and he made a cow foot soup for them. So it's like, I want to know what really went wrong with this?"
"All I want, the family, we're mourning right now, get justice and find who do it. All I want is some closure to see who did it."
Budna had no children, but treated his nieces and nephews as his own.
