Tonight two families from the Orange Walk district are mourning the sudden loss of a father and mother – after an inexplicable act of murder-suicide. By all appearances it was a crime of deranged passion which set into motion an early evening killing that left Orange Walk Town stunned. It happened just after four yesterday and I was in the northern town most of the day today looking for answers.

Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
The body of thirty five year old Santos Concepcion Alvarez Depaz seen here on this stretcher was carried by Orange Walk Police from the victim’s business place, Los Margaritos Cool Spot situated on Princess Diana Street. She had been murdered by this man forty one year old Cruzito Nicholas Chan better known as Cruz.

After killing the mother of their three young children, Cruz who reportedly was intoxicated walked out to his grey Nissan pickup truck seen here parked twenty five feet away in an adjacent parking lot and shot himself in the head. He later died.

Both had left their spouses for each other: Cruzito Chan was still legally married to this woman, Lourdes Chan; while Concepcion Alvarez Depaz’s husband was murdered sometime ago. But Cruzito and Concepcion had a stormy relationship and they argued constantly because those close to them say Chan was a very jealous man that information suggests may have been the motive for the murder. The situation between the couple escalated over the weekend that ended tragically with the loss of both of their lives.

The murder was the first for the northern district but was there anything that could have been done to prevent Cruzito Chan from killing Concepcion Alvarez Depaz. Disturbing reports are that just days before the homicide/suicide, Chan reportedly pulled out his gun, pointed it at Depaz, but then jokingly told the woman he would never use it on her. This frightening incident occurred in front of the couple’s three teenage daughters.

Jacqueline Godwin,
“So when you look at this case and the sequence of how things occurred, did you believe it could have been prevented?”

Cpl. Det. Jeffrey Williams, OIC – CIB Orange Walk
“Probably if there was some intervention yes.”

Concepcion died as a result of the shot to her head. A total of four bullets were fired. One struck a customer twenty one year old Jael Cobb who was seated in front of the bar talking with Concepcion Alvarez Depaz. The case lead investigator and the officer in charge of the Crimes Investigation Branch in Orange Walk Corporal Detective Jeffrey Williams described what they saw upon entering Los Margaritos Cool Spot.

Cpl. Det. Jeffrey Williams,
“She was in a sitting position behind the counter with gunshot wound to the top of her head. Thereafter we found out of the building about 20 yards away, we found her common law husband Cruzito Chan, 41 years, he had a single gunshot wound to the right side of his head. His .38 revolver with 5 expended shells in the chamber was found just beside him.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
“A third individual got injured. How did this happen?”

Cpl. Det. Jeffrey Williams,
“The third individual that got injured, he was in front of the counter drinking and conversing with Miss Depaz when he got injured. He received injuries to the right side of his back. He was a customer.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
“Was anyone present inside the club at the time of the shooting?”

Cpl. Det. Jeffrey Williams,
“There were three other persons and two employees at the time.”

One of those employees Ana Miranda told us what she saw happen after Cruzito Chan entered the building.

Ana Miranda, Employee/Witness
“Cruzito came around four ‘o clock in his vehicle. He came inside the bar, Cruzito went to Concepcion, hugged her and gave her a kiss. Then we saw him go out and suddenly he fired shots and then grabbed Concepcion’s in her hair and then he shot Concepcion twice in her head. We ran into the bathroom.

I cannot believe what has happened, none of us. It was something that happened quickly, we did not know that it was going to happen. They had many arguments but over simple issues. I did not see when Cruzito shot himself, we do not know what happened then because we were hiding in the bathroom. I called Concepcion’s mother and the police. We then came out of the bathroom and saw Concepcion dead and Cruzito dead outside.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
“Do the police after going through your records have any evidence or information that complaints had been made by either individuals to the police?”

Cpl. Det. Jeffrey Williams,
“Well what we gather so far is that they had problems from since Sunday. She was advised by a person she trusts to make a report to the police but apparently she was taking it lightly, saying that he would not do that because there was a threat before.”

But while it seems as if Concepcion did not consider the threats serious one of her daughters in the company of her aunt gave us a chilling account of what her mother told them one day and that is why today fourteen year old Jennifer Depaz appeared strong as she spoke with 7News.

Jennifer Depaz, Daughter of Murder Victim
“I mean my mom always talked to us and told us that if anytime she wasn’t here, she wouldn’t like us to be crying for her. She would like us to be happy because she would be in peace and that is what I am trying to do. I am trying to cope with it.”

The murder and suicide have shattered the lives of two families. For Lourdes Chan who was living with Cruzito Chan for some seventeen years before he left her three years ago for the other woman but she says her husband returned home to her and their daughter and son and was living with them at the time of the incident.

Today Lourdes Chan and her children were at the Belize City morgue to receive the body of their husband and father following the post mortem examination. Lourdes Chan says on the day of the incident Cruzito asked for her forgiveness for what he had done before he left their home on Thursday evening.

Lourdes Chan, Wife of Deceased
“Yesterday was a normal day and everything was fine. In the morning he was at home whole day and in the evening at about 3 o’clock he laid down and fell asleep and all of a sudden he woke up and he told me he would be back with my family, with you, and with my kids and he asked me to please forgive him for all what he has done to me.

Well to me I was happy because I was happy he came back to us and that is it and he told me to forgive him for what all what he did to me.

He never told me nothing, he never told me nothing more about she. He told me he will live back with me again and have a normal life and be happy with my family.

He asked my two sons and my two daughters, he hugged them and told them to please forgive me sons for all what I have done to you guys and he hugged them.

From since Sunday only that he told me. He hugged me and kissed me and said please forgive me for all we have passed through and I forgave him too.”

But it appears as if Cruzito Nicholas Chan was living a double life one that has now broken the hearts of those he has deceived and many unanswered questions.

Jennifer Depaz,
“The only problem was that my mother wanted to separate and he didn’t want to leave her and that was why he started to get all aggressive. Besides that he didn’t have no other problems.

Because my mother told him to go but he didn’t want to go. He stayed at the house because he didn’t want to leave my mom.

Actually he wasn’t living but he still went at the house because only Sunday he left the house, the Sunday he left the house and he just went in the morning. He took us to school and then he came back to the house. He had already threatened my mom that he would kill her if she leaves him but my mom didn’t really pay much attention to him like how it wasn’t the first time. She didn’t take it seriously.”

Keith Swift,
“You heard the threat?”

Jennifer Depaz,
“Yes because they were fighting in the room and we were in the living room.”

Keith Swift,
“When was this?”

Jennifer Depaz,
“That was Sunday and then after that in the morning, Monday in the morning he told us that he wasn’t serious about what he was saying, he was just kidding because he was drunk.

This relationship had almost like 5 years if I am not mistaken but in the beginning yes it was aggressive but then he started to change a lot. He didn’t fight with her anymore, with anything she said he agreed with.

Me as her child, I do not have nothing against him because I know he wasn’t in right senses because he was drunk.”

Keith Swift,
“How do you know he was drunk?”

Jennifer Depaz,
“Because he was drinking even, even before that he was drunk because the day before I went to my mom’s place and he was right there and he was right there and he was drunk as well so when they told us, the workers also told us that he was drunk.”

And as the Chan and Depaz families lay their loved ones to rest and try to cope with their tragedy, Cpl. Det. Jeffrey Williams offered this advice to all families who are living in abusive relationships.

Cpl. Det. Jeffrey Williams,
“When these things happen, you have to treat these things with urgency. You have to inform the authorities. Only so we will know and sometimes you can ask the police to maybe advise the person or talk to the person, you might not want to advise court action. But that intervention could do a lot for people and for couples.”

Despite the strained circumstances, we observed that the surviving relatives were amicable with each other when they met at the Belize City morgue today.