Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast
are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers,
we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English
Tonight, there are no clear answers on what led to the deaths of a young couple at their home in Santa Elena, Cayo.
At 10:00 a.m. this morning, 31-year-old Michael Williams and 21-year-old Delisha Estrada were found in an advanced state of decomposition inside their home in front of Hillview Park. Fortunately, the young child they shared was staying with a relative at the time.
At this time, police have no confirmed information on the likely cause of death. Around 5:15 p.m., investigators removed two bodies from the residence. Forensic personnel, equipped in full protective gear, indicated the severe conditions inside the home.
Their families-who had been waiting around for about seven hours-were devastated, with a member of Estrada's family fainting at the scene.
And while the families are in deep shock and grief tonight, the deaths have stunned the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena. Mayor Earl Trapp knew them both:
Earl Trapp, Mayor - San Ignacio and Santa Elena "I knew them as very highly respectful people. I knew them as highly motivated, highly enthusiastic in what they have always been doing, you know. And I think they were really motivated and looking deep into the future. So it's really a shock that this happened."
Reporter "We know that this has raised a lot of alarms for persons living in San Ignacio, Santa Elena, you know, the increased crime, especially this one where two young persons would be found dead in the state of advanced decomposition."
"Can you speak to us about what effort you all are making towards trying to alleviate crime in some way or really address it in the SISE community?"
Earl Trapp, Mayor - San Ignacio and Santa Elena "Yes, it's a worrisome situation because I will not stand here and say that the safety is one that is untouchable. I think it has really deteriorated to a state that we need extra support."
"And that's one of the reasons why I spoke to the Commissioner of Police last week. And he assured me that they have sent extra support for this area."
The family was told post-mortem examinations will be conducted in the Belize District.
And police are also investigating a murder that occurred yesterday morning around 1:00 a.m. in Orange Walk Town.
Forty-year-old Jose Sosa was on the veranda of a second-floor building in Baeza Alley, where he was attacked and shot at least ten times. ACP Hilberto Romero told us they believe it is drug-related:
ACP Hilberto Romero, HNCIB "He was identified as Jose Sosa of Orange Walk. Information is that Sosa was in a hammock at a building in Orange Walk when a male person pulled up towards him and fired several shots, causing his fatal injuries. We are currently carrying out an investigation into this report."
"He was shot multiple times and we believe it was drug-related.
"We have some leads as to where the suspect fled after the shooting."
Sosa was well known to police and 10 expended shells were found at the scene.
Mentally ill man Colin Francis was today sentenced to 16 years in prison for the manslaughter of Nestor Vasquez Jr. and 10 years for the attempted murder of Nurse Augustina Elijio.
High Court Justice Nigel Pilgrim ordered that both sentences run concurrently and be backdated to June 6, 2019, when Francis was first remanded into custody-leaving him with nine years to serve out the remainder of what works out to be a 16-year sentence.
The charges stem from two violent attacks committed over a three-day span in June 2019. Francis stabbed Nurse Elijio at the Port Loyola Mental Health Clinic on June 4, and two days later, launched a fatal assault on Vasquez, who was his cellmate inside a holding cell at the Queen Street Police Station. The original murder charge in the Vasquez killing was reduced to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility after psychiatric evaluations confirmed Francis suffers from schizophrenia and was off his medication at the time.
Nestor Vasquez Jr.'s brother, Jules Vasquez, shared his reaction to the sentence with reporters outside:
Jules Vasquez, Brother of Deceased "June 4th, 2019 was a terrible day, and June 2nd, 2019 was a terrible day for Augustina Elijio as well. So, you know, Mr. Francis tried to kill two people in those two days. He succeeded with one in a very vicious killing, but I understand-I understand the family's plight that he too is a victim of mental illness. He is schizophrenic. As the judge said in there, he suffered from auditory hallucinations, and he was, as they say, guided by very dark voices on those days. So I sympathize with the family, but our family has also experienced great pain and loss, and Nurse Elijio lost her career in that attempted murder."
"The judge was lenient in his understanding of Mr. Francis' condition. My concern... I have no vendetta or ill will towards Mr. Francis. I understand that he was in an acute psychotic state at the time. And I also understand that the biggest failure here is of the Police Department. Certainly in our case, because they deliberately put my brother in a cell with a man in a psychotic state who... his mother says she believes they did not give him the medication she had delivered. The police totally failed in their duty of care, and that is why my brother is dead. They put my brother in a cell with a much younger man who was in an acute psychotic state. I believe they did it deliberately, so I believe who should be on trial here are multiple failing systems."
"And I know the system does not have the medical infrastructure to take care, to make sure that someone who can kill when they are under these hallucinations-someone who can kill-can receive their medication appropriately. Neither his family nor the system has the ability to ensure this."
In delivering the sentence, Justice Pilgrim emphasized the systemic gaps in Belize's mental health infrastructure, pointing out the lack of a secure, dedicated forensic psychiatric hospital to manage and treat mentally ill offenders.
A seven-acre swath of land adjoining the Belize River at Mile 6.5 on the Philip Goldson Highway has been indiscriminately clear-cut.
It happened on Wednesday of last week-where, to the horror of conservationists and regular folks, the area was flattened and cleared from the river's very edge to the highway embankment.
So who did it? And did they run a red light? Well, a company named Rio Caribe Limited, owned by Sanju Chulani from "My Lights," became the new owner of the property less than a week ago. He bought it from a company owned principally by Investment Ambassador Haisam Diab's wife.
That was on Wednesday, September 9th, and within hours, Chulani had hired a heavy equipment operator to clear the land. Now, he says, he told the operator he only wanted it brushed so that he could see the property he had just bought. And so while Chulani says he was expecting the operator to make a little road, he instead clear-cut the area of all growth, right up to the edge of the Belize River.
We have reached out to the Minister of Sustainable Development, Orlando "Landy" Habet, who said he will seek a response from the Department of the Environment to see what infractions may have occurred.
The CEO in the Ministry of Natural Resources says it was a private transaction of the old Samuel Price estate-so they have limited purview over it. It was not Crown land.
School buses in the south and west did not make their runs this morning-leaving hundreds of primary and high schoolers and their families in remote rural areas having to figure out how to get to school.
The problem is payment from the Ministry of Education. The bus operators have not been paid in three weeks and say they simply cannot afford to pay for the diesel if they are not getting paid.
The Ministry of Education put out a statement last night saying, quote, "We are working diligently, in consultation with the Ministry of Finance, to facilitate payments... The Ministry assures the public and our school communities that we are working to resolve this matter, with payments expected to be facilitated by midweek."
And the school bus operators are crying out-as is everyone else after diesel prices went over $15 per gallon on the Tenth of September. Presently, a gallon of diesel in Belize City is priced at a crippling $15.60-which is higher than the previous record of $15.49 per gallon set in May of this year.
A table printed in Diario El Salvador today shows that the U.S. dollar price per gallon of diesel in Belize is more than a dollar higher than any other Central American country. And the price quoted in their article is $14.46 per gallon-since then, it has increased by more than a dollar per gallon.
Belize's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a strong diplomatic protest against Guatemala following a tense maritime confrontation on September 10th, when a fleet of Guatemalan military and civilian vessels blocked access to Sarstoon Island.
The incident occurred during the Belize Territorial Volunteers' (BTV) annual excursion around Sarstoon Island. The expedition was met by approximately 18 Guatemalan craft inside Belizean waters. Foreign Ministry officials condemned the blockade, noting that the deployment of armed military craft alongside civilians marked an "unwelcome escalation" in the sensitive border area.
The Ministry characterized Guatemala's deployment as a direct violation of Belizean sovereignty and an unlawful obstruction of unarmed civilians.
In response, Belmopan dispatched a formal diplomatic note of protest to Guatemala's Ministry of External Affairs and formally alerted the OAS.
Belize's legal team has also been instructed to bring these acts before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where the broader territorial dispute is undergoing formal adjudication.
Earlier this month, we told you that the local onion crop was near the end, so though the prices for onions were relatively stable, the quality had decreased. You heard from one market vendor that this is just a normal part of the cycle until the crop finishes and then the marketing board starts importing onions.
Well, those importations have begun, but now the vendors at the Michael Finnegan Market are saying the prices from the Belize Marketing and Development Corporation are sky-high. They told us that they're paying over $200 for a sack of onions. But it's not just onions-they say they're struggling to afford several other vegetables. We went to the market today and spoke with them:
Annie Aguilar, Market Vendor "My concern is about the prices of the product that's coming in imported from Mexico. Right now, we don't have any local, but the Mexican products are coming in very expensive. We're very concerned as a vendor, and the consumers, it's very hard right now. My concern is that we're pleading to the Marketing Board or the Government to at least try to have mercy on us and try to give us good prices so we can give our customers good prices as well. Right now, the clean potato, which is the yellow potato, they're coming in very spoiled. We're paying $235 for the sack, by the next day it's already spoiled.
"The sack of onions, last week it was $195; now they inform us we have to pay $215 for a sack of onions."
Reporter: "Then when you pay that much, how much do you have to sell it for?"
Annie Aguilar: "Well, that's the other stuff. We were selling the onion for $3.50 and now we have to sell it for $4 a pound."
Reporter: "What other vegetables are you having this problem with?"
Annie Aguilar: "The lettuce, the carrots, the celery. Imagine right now, a head of lettuce, we have to sell it $7.50. What is my price that I'm paying? It's $6.25. You know what it is to make 75 cents? It's not really easy. And in the box you don't find them perfect-one or two always spoiled, so when you clean them, the value goes down."
Voice of: Market Vendor "We as vendors, we don't make any money. If you're smart enough and you spend $250 and you're making $37 on that, the possibility is that you won't even make it, because like that potato there, as soon as the sun touches that, every morning you have to clean three pounds out of that. So if you're cleaning three pounds and it takes you five days to sell that, you will lose 15, so you will fall behind."
"To me, this is like slavery in a modernized system."
Reporter: "Would you say the prices... it's a huge increase from this time last year?"
Voice of: Market Vendor: "Hell yeah. Last year you were getting the potatoes for $165, this year you get them for $250. I mean, that's about almost 60%."
We will follow up with the Ministry of Agriculture tomorrow.
Turning now to crime news… Last week, we told you that 21-year-old Jaheim Sanchez was killed near T Street in Belize City on Wednesday night. Today, the police told us they are seeking suspects:
ACP Hilberto Romero, HNCIB "Police went to the KHMH when the person was seen with several gunshot injuries and was pronounced dead. Information is that the deceased, Jaheim Sanchez, was with another person in a vehicle in the area when a male person came and fired several shots towards his direction, causing his fatal injuries. Another male person was grazed; however, he was treated and released. We are currently seeking two persons in regards to this investigation."
"It is an ongoing conflict with persons in that area."
And another 21-year-old man lost his life last Wednesday, but this time it was in a traffic accident. Jaheed Lopez-an athlete and student at UB-was crushed by an 18-wheeler filled with sand and gravel on the Hummingbird Highway. Today, the police finally issued a report to the press that revealed two men actually died in that accident, which was caused by a collision. Here's what ACP Romero told us:
ACP Hilberto Romero, HNCIB "Investigation revealed that the truck, which was driven by Melvin Chichinilla, was traveling towards Belmopan when it collided with the four vehicles, causing the truck to overturn. Two male persons were trapped under the truck, they were identified as Ervin Gutierrez and Jaheed Lopez. They were pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation is being carried out into this accident, several statements have been recorded, measurements taken, urine sample and NIP served on the driver of the truck, and at the completion of the investigation, the case file will be submitted to the DPP for directives."
"The truck was traveling towards Belmopan when these vehicles were on the highway. They were clearing a tree that had fallen on the highway and the truck could not stop in time and he collided in the vehicles that were parked there."
On Saturday night at around 8:30, police responded to a report of arson in Paraiso.
According to reports, the home belonged to a couple, and the husband, Gregorio Espiritu, set the fire.
ACP Romero told us his wife was not at home at the time, but there had been previous reports of domestic violence at that residence:
ACP Hilberto Romero, HNCIB "On Saturday, police responded to a report of a fire in Paraiso Village. Upon their arrival, they saw a building 18 feet by 20 feet engulfed in flames. Investigation revealed that a male person, Gregorio Espiritu, went into the house, he set the building on fire. This report was made by his wife, Brenda Espiritu, who reported that she was in the area when she saw him enter the house and thereafter the house was engulfed in flames. Gregorio Espiritu is in custody pending investigation at this time."
Reporter: "Did they live together or were they separated?"
ACP Hilberto Romero: "Information is that they lived together."
"There are previous reports of domestic violence in the house."
Over the weekend, another video of a fight went viral on social media. But this one was a little strange-it showed two women fighting next to a crocodile that was bound and captured.
When we asked the police about it, ACP Romero explained that they investigate these fight videos and levy the necessary charges. As for the crocodile? Well… that part is not so simple:
ACP Hilberto Romero, HNCIB "Once those are brought to our attention or we see them on Facebook, we carry out an investigation. Once the persons are identified, then we bring them into custody and they are charged. So once these persons can be identified, they will be charged."
Reporter: "Have you seen that video from the weekend with the crocodile and the people fighting?"
ACP Hilberto Romero: "Yes, we have seen that and we have our Cybercrime Unit dealing with that report."
Reporter: "What kind of charges are normally levied in these cases?"
ACP Hilberto Romero: "We usually have the charge of disorderly conduct."
Reporter: "What about in relation to the crocodile?"
ACP Hilberto Romero: "Yes, that will be reviewed again, and if we find that any offense was committed, then they will be dealt with likewise."
Reporter: "Do police know where the crocodile is?"
On Thursday the Tenth, a motorcyclist was killed in an accident in Orange Walk Town. Twenty-five-year-old Lorenzo Castro collided with a van at the corner of Munoz Street and Otro Benque Road. ACP Romero gave us the details:
ACP Hilberto Romero, HNCIB "Antonio Novelo was driving a white van when he collided with a motorcycle driven by Lorenzo Castro. Castro was taken for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries. An investigation is being carried out, an NIP was served on Novelo, a urine sample obtained, and we will compile the file and send it to the DPP for directives.
"The motorcycle collided with the van, the van turned a lane and the motorcycle collided with the van."
Reporter: "Do you know if the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet?"
ACP Hilberto Romero: "I am not sure; I know that the motorcycle was not licensed or insured."
Belize Local Deals, an electronics store located inside the Blake Building, was burglarized for the second time in less than two months. According to ACP Romero, this time, the burglars got away with several electronic devices, but they were once again caught on surveillance footage:
ACP Hilberto Romero, HNCIB "On Sunday, Shanda Thompson reported that her business place was broken into in Belize City. She reported that the security alerted her, she made checks inside her business establishment where several cell phones, laptops, and tablets were stolen. We are reviewing video footage to see if we can identify any suspects."
Reporter: "Do police believe it is the same perpetrators from the previous burglary?"
ACP Hilberto Romero: "We are not certain; again, we will review the video footage and carry out an investigation. That is the business that was targeted at the Blake Building."
"They have security there, the security guard reported that he made checks and discovered that the locks had been broken."
The National Sports Council recognizes and congratulates Team Belize on their performance at the 22nd Central American Student Sports Games, CODICADER 2026.
Team Belize was awarded a total of nine medals: two gold, three silver, and four bronze. Belize's delegation was made up of 183 student-athletes who competed against a total of 2,200 athletes from other competing Central American countries.
In a release issued by the National Sports Council, they noted that, quote, "Jaaden Williams delivered an exceptional performance, earning gold in the triple jump, while Oshane Munnings also rose to the occasion with a gold-medal performance in the high jump, helping Belize finish the athletics competition with two gold medals."
Senior Counsel Hubert Elrington has lost his appeal against a six-month suspension from the practice of law. In a judgment delivered on Friday, the Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed Elrington's appeal, confirming findings of "grave professional misconduct" handed down by the General Legal Council (GLC).
The judgment upholds orders requiring Elrington to pay $6,000 in restitution to his former client, Orpha Martinez, and serve a six-month suspension that will remain in effect until the money is fully repaid.
The legal battle originated from a complaint Martinez filed with the General Legal Council reporting that she had paid Elrington $6,000 to institute a civil lawsuit regarding property located in Benque Viejo Town. However, over seven years elapsed without Elrington filing the claim. According to Martinez, Elrington repeatedly offered excuses for the delay, failed to keep her updated, and refused to refund her retainer.
Elrington appealed the GLC's decision to the Court of Appeal, represented by his son, O.J. Elrington.
The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal in its entirety, affirmed the sanctions imposed on Senior Counsel Elrington, and awarded court costs to Martinez.
In a landmark decision for the Senior Courts of Belize, High Court Justice Nigel Pilgrim has spared 21-year-old Mark Stephen Godoy a custodial prison term, placing him on three years of probation after extensive psychological evaluations revealed he operates with the general intellectual capacity of an eight-year-old child.
Godoy entered guilty pleas to two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse involving a 14-year-old girl following encounters in March 2024. While that would normally carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years' imprisonment, the court elected to depart from standard custodial guidelines after considering the defendant's severe mental deficit.
Justice Pilgrim determined that immediate imprisonment would be disproportionate. The court noted that while unlawful sexual intercourse remains a severe offense demanding deterrence, Godoy's permanent mental disability substantially reduced his moral culpability. Justice Pilgrim reasoned that sending a first-time offender with such profound cognitive limitations to prison would hinder his rehabilitation without delivering a proportionate public safety benefit.
Under the ruling delivered on September 14, 2026, Godoy was sentenced to three years of probation under the supervision of the Community Rehabilitation Department. Justice Pilgrim emphasized that the probation order is "not a slap on the wrist," warning that any breach of the order or subsequent criminal reoffending would immediately return Godoy to the High Court to face full sentencing for the original offenses.
A coordinated push by Belizean trade unions to install veteran telecommunications worker Erven Marin on the Board of Directors for BTL ended abruptly after Marin withdrew his nomination at the eleventh hour.
On Friday, the NTUCB issued an official press release calling on small shareholders to back Marin's nomination at BTL's 20th Annual General Meeting scheduled for Thursday. The coalition aimed to unseat incumbent Small Shareholders Director Eric Eusey over allegations of poor communication and a lack of consultation with stakeholders.
Marin, a 32-year BTL veteran recognized for leading the successful severance suit to the CCJ, was presented by the labor movement as an ideal candidate to restore accountability and transparency on the board.
However, it seems the campaign fell apart moments before the official filing deadline of Friday, September 11, at 5:00 p.m. When the BCWU General Secretary contacted Marin to sign and finalize his nomination forms, Marin informed union executives that, following consultations with his family, he decided to withdraw his name from consideration and would no longer pursue the position.
With the deadline now closed and their candidate officially out of the running, the union alliance is left without an alternative nominee heading into BTL's general meeting.
This weekend, close to 10,000 residents braved the blazing sun to shop at the Expo Belize Marketplace. For the past 30 years, the BCCI has organized the expo, and it's become a staple in the September Celebrations. But did this year draw the crowds-and the cash-that it used to? Courtney Menzies has this story:
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Tonight, there are no clear answers on what led to the deaths of a young couple at their home in Santa Elena, Cayo.
"I knew them as very highly respectful people. I knew them as highly motivated, highly enthusiastic in what they have always been doing, you know. And I think they were really motivated and looking deep into the future. So it's really a shock that this happened."
And police are also investigating a murder that occurred yesterday morning around 1:00 a.m. in Orange Walk Town.
Sosa was well known to police and 10 expended shells were found at the scene.
Mentally ill man Colin Francis was today sentenced to 16 years in prison for the manslaughter of Nestor Vasquez Jr. and 10 years for the attempted murder of Nurse Augustina Elijio.
"June 4th, 2019 was a terrible day, and June 2nd, 2019 was a terrible day for Augustina Elijio as well. So, you know, Mr. Francis tried to kill two people in those two days. He succeeded with one in a very vicious killing, but I understand-I understand the family's plight that he too is a victim of mental illness. He is schizophrenic. As the judge said in there, he suffered from auditory hallucinations, and he was, as they say, guided by very dark voices on those days. So I sympathize with the family, but our family has also experienced great pain and loss, and Nurse Elijio lost her career in that attempted murder."
A seven-acre swath of land adjoining the Belize River at Mile 6.5 on the Philip Goldson Highway has been indiscriminately clear-cut.
School buses in the south and west did not make their runs this morning-leaving hundreds of primary and high schoolers and their families in remote rural areas having to figure out how to get to school.
And the school bus operators are crying out-as is everyone else after diesel prices went over $15 per gallon on the Tenth of September. Presently, a gallon of diesel in Belize City is priced at a crippling $15.60-which is higher than the previous record of $15.49 per gallon set in May of this year.
Belize's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a strong diplomatic protest against Guatemala following a tense maritime confrontation on September 10th, when a fleet of Guatemalan military and civilian vessels blocked access to Sarstoon Island.
Earlier this month, we told you that the local onion crop was near the end, so though the prices for onions were relatively stable, the quality had decreased. You heard from one market vendor that this is just a normal part of the cycle until the crop finishes and then the marketing board starts importing onions.
"The sack of onions, last week it was $195; now they inform us we have to pay $215 for a sack of onions."
Turning now to crime news… Last week, we told you that 21-year-old Jaheim Sanchez was killed near T Street in Belize City on Wednesday night. Today, the police told us they are seeking suspects:
And another 21-year-old man lost his life last Wednesday, but this time it was in a traffic accident. Jaheed Lopez-an athlete and student at UB-was crushed by an 18-wheeler filled with sand and gravel on the Hummingbird Highway. Today, the police finally issued a report to the press that revealed two men actually died in that accident, which was caused by a collision. Here's what ACP Romero told us:
Over the weekend, another video of a fight went viral on social media. But this one was a little strange-it showed two women fighting next to a crocodile that was bound and captured.
On Thursday the Tenth, a motorcyclist was killed in an accident in Orange Walk Town. Twenty-five-year-old Lorenzo Castro collided with a van at the corner of Munoz Street and Otro Benque Road. ACP Romero gave us the details:
Belize Local Deals, an electronics store located inside the Blake Building, was burglarized for the second time in less than two months. According to ACP Romero, this time, the burglars got away with several electronic devices, but they were once again caught on surveillance footage:
The National Sports Council recognizes and congratulates Team Belize on their performance at the 22nd Central American Student Sports Games, CODICADER 2026.
Senior Counsel Hubert Elrington has lost his appeal against a six-month suspension from the practice of law. In a judgment delivered on Friday, the Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed Elrington's appeal, confirming findings of "grave professional misconduct" handed down by the General Legal Council (GLC).
A coordinated push by Belizean trade unions to install veteran telecommunications worker Erven Marin on the Board of Directors for BTL ended abruptly after Marin withdrew his nomination at the eleventh hour.
