A 63-year-old deacon of the Catholic Church was killed early this morning. Police responded to a call at the Kontiki Area of San Ignacio Town where they found the body of Deacon Donald Kostecki. He had been stabbed fatally to the chest and bled to death just outside of his home. We traveled west and found the community in shock after the killing of this man of the church.

Alfonso Noble Reporting [From Cayo]
Police are yet to release any information on the killing of Deacon Donald Kosteki but one thing is clear, he was attacked and killed right here at his home in the Kontiki Area of San Ignacio.

Marco Figueroa,
"I live beside my mom's house and she came over and said she got just a call that something had happened to Don who is married to my cousin and he lives right beside my place of business. So I hurriedly got up, I think it was about minutes past 8, or around that time, and I just jumped out of bed and drove off. Well I was shocked when I got there. I saw my cousin lying on the floor beside his vehicle and the door was still opened for his vehicle. We had some policemen around there already, a couple of neighbors there, and he was on the ground apparently dead already. He was lying flat down on his belly and I only saw, well he was covered with blood, but after I saw when the police flipped him over and they put him on a stretcher and took him to a vehicle to be taken to the morgue. The police in charge was telling me, since I was the only family there at that time, that he had received a wound to his left side. He seemed to have been inside the vehicle already. He had his key in the ignition and he had his bible and his belongings beside him so it seems that he was going to church, he is a deacon, early in the morning and someone must have surprised him and seems to be machete or some sort of weapon was used and it seemed to have penetrated his left side, apparently straight to his heart."

Now questions are arising over the killing of the 63-year-old deacon who had been ordained in July of last year to serve at the San Ignacio Catholic Parish. Fr. Kevin Hederman, the Parish Priest, and Marco Figueroa are now two persons in the community asking the same question: why?

Marco Figueroa,
"It seems not a motive of robbery because everything was intact. Actually the keys for his house was beside him so anybody who would have wanted to rob him would have gone into the house, ransack the house, and taken whatever it was. But seems like they managed to fondle with his wallet. We don't' know if he had any cash with him or whatever but his watch was on and the only thing we found, or the policemen saw missing, was his cellular phone. When another cousin of us came by he had the phone number for the Deacon's cell so we called the cell and actually Spanish people answered the phone the first time and it seems to have been a family, a wife involved or lady cause we heard children in the background but immediately they turned off the phone and we tried calling again and there was no answer."

Fr. Kevin Hederman,
"Why would somebody do that to any man or woman of God? Why would anybody kill another human being? Apparently they wanted whatever he had in his pocket and I can assure he didn't have much in his pocket."

While these two men may have different opinions on the reason, on thing is clear, the death of Kostecki came as a total surprise.

Marco Figueroa,
"Earlier in the morning I understand my cousin had called him because his mother in law was not feeling well and he answered the phone, it was about 5:30. He answered the phone and he seemed normal and he said when he was going to church he would stop by and look at his mother-in-law, visit his mother in law and then go to church and that was the last they heard of him. It was really shocking and nerve-wracking because it was a guy who did not interfere with anyone. He is a deacon, he is a man of God so we are surprised, the family is surprised. He never had any concern and he never mentioned having any problem with any neighbor whatsoever and well I have my restaurant around there and I've never heard of any incident happening around there so it was a shock when I heard that."

Fr. Kevin Hederman,
"He was so proud of his home and he would always entertaining friends and always talk about his neighbors and always having all the confidence. And you know we would say Don you need a dog or you need to electrify it and he would say I have no fear. There was a good deal of bush around and there was a lot of drifters coming in and out but he would the last one to worry about something like that. A lot of tears, a lot of sadness, a lot of anger. The word is even now spreading and there is a lot of shaking of heads asking the same questions we are asking, why would they kill. If somebody is going to steal some money then steal it but why would you kill somebody who lived and died for his parish and people here. He really really cared for the people here and he will surely missed."

Alfonso Noble,
What would you say to the person who may have done this?

Fr. Kevin Hederman,
"I think I would say what Don would say, 'Father forgive them, they don't know what they do.' I am certain that Don would have forgiven them eventhough the big question is the why. It's just a waste of a life. I guess life is cheap or its getting cheaper and that's too bad. Its very appropriate for this time of year, so close to Good Friday, so close to death and resurrection. I think Don would take great solace if he were to die in this season."

A season that for the San Ignacio Catholic Community, now has as an addition to the cross, the black bow of mourning pinned on the church's main entrance.

Kosteki has been serving the Catholic Community in San Ignacio for over 40 years when he began his service as a papal emissary back in the 1960's. He was married to a Belizean. The home where he was killed was planned as the couple's retirement home after his wife returned from the U.S., which was planned for later this year.