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The Chinese and the wider community in Dangriga is tonight trying to make sense out of a senseless double murder early this morning. Two businessmen were killed during a robbery on Mahogany Street in Dangriga Town and two more were seriously chopped up and left for dead. They were attacked by one man armed with knives who tied them up, robbed them, and then brutally executed them. Keith Swift has the story from Dangriga.

Keith Swift Reporting,
There are still spots of blood where 33 year old Yue Lian Liu and 31 year old Liping Zhen were slaughtered last night.

Inspector Alden Dawson, Dangriga Police
“They were outside playing cards, recreating among themselves, after the game shop closed as one of them owns the game shop that closed sometime between 11 and 12 at night. While inside the compound he inflicted stab wounds to all four Chinese nationals.”

Keith Swift,
One person attacked these four people?

Inspector Alden Dawson,
“Yes according to our investigation it was one single male person. He was armed with a knife and he is dark complexioned, about six feet.”

Keith Swift,
Any idea how one person would have been able to overpower four people?

Inspector Alden Dawson,
“Well at this time I can’t really say but that is the information we got, based on our investigation one male person entered the premises.”

Lee Mark Chang, President – Belize Chinese Assoc.
“They were just having fun at home relaxing and the guy came from behind to rob them.”

Keith Swift,
I understand they were tied up.

Lee Mark Chang,
“Yes after they were took in, I was made to understand they were with a knife escorted into the room and they were all tied up to sit.”

Keith Swift,
What do you believe was the motive?

Inspector Alden Dawson,
“We believe robbery was the motive.”

Xue Na Yan survived the attack but her husband didn’t. She was barely able to speak to us today because her left upper lip is cut and swollen and she was stabbed in the back and right shoulder.

Lee Mark Chang,
“She got a chop wound across the face as you can see here so she can barely speak. She has stitches along her face right here and there is another young man inside who received four stab wounds from apparently a small dagger, one on the chest, one on the back, two on the arm. And the other two deceased received more than serious life threatening chop wounds to the body and that’s why they are where they are right now.”

Keith Swift,
And this was done by one person?

Lee Mark Chang,
“Yes one person as I was told robbed and tied them up.”

Police believe the crime was pre-meditated but David Daniels knows it was. He is so sure because he was Yue Lian Liu’s landlord and he links last night’s murderous spree to his dog’s death 8 days ago.

David Daniels, Landlord of Murder Victim
“Last week Saturday night they threw poison for the dog. So the dog got sick on Sunday and Monday I buried the dog. I should have taken note of that, that somebody was plotting something. This was a busy area, it is very lighted, lit up at night, and people are always going by so I wouldn’t believe something like that would happen.”

But it did happen and police have no suspects and few leads. The survivor along with Lee Mark Chang – President of the Belize Chinese Association today appealed for help from the public.

Lee Mark Chang,
“The main thing she want to convey out is that if any of the public here in Dangriga knows of any information leading to the arrest and conviction or to give the police information so they could solve the case to please come forward and give the police the information.

The community is very outraged and of course very said for the two women, the husbands that have died. She has two young children and the other female has a young child also. She recently moved to Dangriga to live. She is pleading with the community if there is anybody out there who knows of any kind of clues to please come forward and give it to the Police Department.”

Police don’t know how much money was stolen but they know he got away with at least one thousand dollars. He apparently wanted more and that’s when he couldn’t find more – he got angry and the robbery turned into murder. Police note that there were signs of a struggle.

Liping Zhen and his wife had lived in Dangriga for some time and ran a grocery store next door to where Yue Lian Liu and his wife lived. They moved in two months ago. Jian Conc Yan was the fourth victim. He received a stab wound to the left side of his chest and back. He too has been released from the Southern Regional Hospital.

Again the police are short on clues. The Chinese Association plans to offer a reward for information leading to an arrest.