Earlier today two men, 59 year old Ernest Thompson and 26 year old Isiah Azueta were arraigned for the murder of William Smith, a retired Belizean who spent a life working abroad but had come home to live out the rest of his days.
It's a criminal conspiracy that the twin towns, and in fact, the country is trying to come to terms with: the murder of an innocent man just trying to build his dream on the hill.
Yesterday when we spoke to the Minister of Home Affairs he called it a crime of opportunity. We challenged him on that.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"We are seeing now a lot of crimes of opportunity. So, for instance, the one invasion situation. That is definitely a very tragic and devastating situation for the smith family to have to go through."
Jules Vasquez
"I don't think crime of opportunity can apply. I know what a crime of opportunity is, I understand. But, these people premeditated it. Like to hear his family say it, the man wanted to build a resort of some type, and, you know, you are planning your investment, and, you know, you have this dream, this is a 72 year old retiree's dream. And he wants t plan his life a certain way, and you are planning and somebody else di watch you, and is saying, look how he has money, it looks like he has money."
"I understand you all can't control every criminal out here thinking about how I will rob from so-and-so. However, some form of, more effective form of policing is necessary to have more patrols or something to make it that persons who feel they can go in the height of an Easter Sunday morning into a man's home and kill him, they have to feel that it's a real risk moving around with shotguns to break into this man's house."
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"I think that the police responses by itself Jules, the capture and the apprehension of these culprits in this particular situation and in the Sirenian Bay situation, I think those are things that eventually lead to a deterrence. You're saying that the police need to do more. I am saying that the police did effectively what they were supposed to do."
Police are still searching for two more suspects in what they say was a criminal conspiracy.
Florencio Talbert All Tangled Up In Montero Land Dealings
And for Ernest Thompson AKA Florencio Talbert - it's not the first time he is in the news. In fact, as he went to jail on remand today, he may be one of the wealthiest men there - because of the various land holdings that are in his name. Two years ago, Minister of Natural Resources Cordel Hyde told the house how Talbert got tangled up in the Rene Montero land dealings:
posted (January 8, 2021)
Hon. Cordel Hyde, Minister of Natural Resources
"Florencio Talbert says he was very good friends with the then ministry of works CEO Errol Gentle or so he thought. Gentle had asked for his social security card a few times, but he was never told exactly why. Talbert says Errol Gentle even went his house one day for his social security card, but according to Talbert he never questioned anything, because he use to work as Gentle's bodyguard also. So one day last year and enterprising gentleman goes to Florencio and says do you know that you own some of the most prime real estate in this country. Florencio of course says no. So the man convinces Florencio to give him power of attorney so that he can acquire the lands from him, so they go to the lands department together only to find out that one year earlier in 2019 the lands that were in Florencio Talbert's name was transferred to Errol Gentle and to a company named Scorpio Development Company owned by Rene Montero's two sons; Rene Jr. and Robert Montero. All this happened and Florencio Talbert never knew. Never knew he was sitting on some rich mountain pine ridge land and never knew he had transferred the land. All this happened over and over again. Montero learnt well from Gaspar Vega you see, they put lands in unsuspecting people's names; their workers, their humble constituents and they are able to sell or transfer the lands without these people even knowing."
Ernest Thompson, AKA Florencio Talbert is on remand for murder and other charges tonight.
Who Will Be The Next ComPol?
Last night, you heard the Minister of Home Affairs speak about his three Deputy Commissioners of Police: Richard Rosado, Bart Jones, and Aaron Guzman.
With Chester Williams reported to be on deck to depart that post in the foreseeable future - who will succeed him?
The Minister wasn't quite sure:
Jules Vasquez "Is there any clear path to succession amongst these DCP's?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"We have currently three Deputy Commissioners. Doctor Rosado is one; Bart Jones, who is a trained attorney is a second; and then we have Mr Aaron Guzman, who is the third Deputy Commissioner. I believe Mr Guzman will be retiring next year in 2024, and so what we're looking at right now are the other two DCP's."
"I cannot say that we have decided who will be the next commissioner of police, that's not a discussion myself and the prime minister, myself and cabinet have had as yet. But certainly, those two are the lead runners so to speak to become the next commissioner of police."
Jules Vasquez
"Is it a concern that these guys with strong academic backgrounds might be brought into a post where traditionally you've had these Mano Duro leaders like Mr. Williams?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"I view the post of Commissioner of Police from a different perspective than you do Jules. To me, what matters the most when it comes to being the head honcho of the police department is your ability to properly manage. Not just in terms of micro managing, you have to do your best so that you don't micromanage. And that administratively everything at all the various levels of the department is operating and functioning in the best way possible. I think that with the background of both gentlemen, both Mr Jones and Doctor Rosado, I think they both have that managerial and administrative skill to be commissioners of police."
Williams is currently 48 years old and if he is retired before the age of 50, the government would have to pay him off for those remaining two years, or promote him to a more senior post, such as a CEO.
A New Pharmaceutical App
And finally, tonight, when the media caught up with PM Briceno this afternoon it was at the launch of an app called "EV4 Pharma" launched by EV4 Pharmaceuticals Ltd out of Orange Walk Town.
The company specializes in the retail, importation, and distribution of pharmaceuticals and now you can access all those services right on your phone.
CTV3 was at the app's launch party and got to hear about it first-hand from the EV4's owner as well as a very impressed Prime Minister, here's more:
Vanessa Melendez, Created App
"I feel proud of myself and my accomplishment. Being the first to have now, our app, and our website which is fully, fully, it's live, with live access to our inventory whereby our customers really know what we have, they know what we have. It's not something that they will be ordering let's say 20 medications and get 10, what they order is what they get, you order 57 items, you get 57 of 57 and that is where I am. I like our company to stand out, despite being a bay in the industry I love that we can stand out where that is concerned with the service that we are providing with the accuracy of the inventory that we are providing for our customers."
John Bricenco, Prime Minister
"Here we have a young lady Ms Vanesa who through grit as you would say, has come to this point."
"She was a single mother, she had four children, working as a waitress, very intelligent young lady but did not have the opportunities and decided to say, you know what? I am going to try to see how I can make something for myself, finis her school and she was just, she was telling me, she said I had to sell food during the day to be able to go to school at night and then get into the industry, work with a hospital and other distributors and learn the business and she decided that she can do it even better."
"I am so proud of what she is doing using the website and so that people can go online and do thier orders to go a step further and to say well you have it on your phone. You could take out your phone and order right here and if someone is short of something you could immediately order it."
