7 News Belize

Pipersburgh and Robateau Plea to Have Their Sentences Reduced
posted (July 5, 2019)
In November of 2016, the Court of Appeal scrapped mandatory life sentences for persons convicted of murder. Since then, all convicted murders have been going back before the Supreme Court for a new sentence.

The latest convicts to go for a new sentence are Leslie Pipersburgh and Patrick Robateau. They were found guilty of the 2002 murders of 2 KBH security guards, Kevin Alvarez and Fidel Mai, which happened when they were carrying out an armed robbery of Bowen and Bowen's Slaughterhouse Road Compound in Belize City.

They went before Justice Colin Williams today, and they were both allowed an opportunity to make a mitigation plea. Their attorney, Hector Guerra, urged the court on their behalf to set a fixed-term prison sentence of 20 to 30 years. He said that the goal should not be to lock both men up and throw away the key, and that both men are on the road to redemption, and they've made progress toward becoming better citizens.

Robateau also made a plea on his own behalf. He said that he is a 42 year-old man, who went to jail at the age of 25, and that he has served 17 years in jail so far.

He then told the court that he wished that the families of the victims lives who he took were in court so that he could ask them for forgiveness. Robateau acknowledged, however, that no amount of words could lessen their pain. He also spoke of the fact that he is a prison trustee who works as a computer technician while behind bars. He closed by begging the court for mercy in coming to this new sentence.

For his part, Pipersburgh told the court he has participated in 11 different rehab programs during his time in jail. Aft

er hearing from the two men and their attorney, Justice Williams adjourned the sentencing hearing to September 18th. He said that he needed time to consider all that was said to him.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize