There is much more to report tonight in what might be four recent murders that are linked. Belmopan Police have detained a nineteen year old Benque Viejo resident. They say he, along with the now deceased Raul Balona, likely murdered not only Canadian Brian Townsend on Christmas Day, but also Isidoro Bonilla, who was chopped to death and robbed in Valley of Peace on December thirteenth. It’s an interesting series of events. On January nineteenth, one suspect in the Townsend murder, Marlon Flores, was murdered in La Gracia Village. On Tuesday his brother, Raul Balona, another suspect in the murder, was shot to death in Arenal. On Wednesday, Benque Viejo Police went looking for relatives of Balona to identify a picture of his body when they came across the third suspect. He was immediately taken into custody without a struggle. So four murders and one suspect later, Belmopan Police believe they have the man responsible for two of the deaths. Today, Officer Commanding the Belmopan Police Formation Sinquest Martinez says it’s a breakthrough culminating more than a month of intensive activity.
Sinquest Martinez, O.C., Belmopan Police Formation
Sinquest Martinez
“We made a breakthrough but what is happening is that we have one person in custody and he is cooperating with the Police.”
Mike Rudon
“I know you can’t go into details, but I understand the person in custody has also led Police to items which were stolen in both the Townsend murder and the Bonilla murder. Is that correct?”
Sinquest Martinez
“We have done some recovery and like I said earlier, he is cooperating with us to an extent which is good and we continue to do other follow-up which needs to be done. Based on what we have, the evidence…we have some strong evidence, and we will continue to work on what we have, build on what we have, and after that we will send the file to the D.P.P. and based on her advice we are going to move from there.”
Brian Townsend
Mike Rudon
“I understand that this person was originally approached for a commitment warrant? Can you confirm that?”
Sinquest Martinez
“Like I said previously it’s not only the Belmopan Police. It’s a team effort. We are working as a team. We are working along with our officers from Benque Viejo. Yes there was a commitment warrant for him and he was one of our suspects in those two murders. We were on an intense manhunt and because of the support from the villagers from Valley of peace; they helped us in many, many ways. Our investigation was not only based in Valley of Peace. We had to go to Arenal. We had to work with our counterparts in Guatemala, in Melchor de Mencos and so it was a big investigation and it continues. It hasn’t ended as yet.”
Police would not provide the name of the detained man because he has not yet been charged. As was mentioned by the Police, after he was detained and put through the system it was discovered that he owed the court ten thousand dollars for a previous drug trafficking conviction. Though it is only speculation at this point, it is believed that the connection between the Balonas and the detained man is the movement of marijuana.
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