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We may be in a national state of emergency brought on by COVID-19, but, that didn’t stop a killer today.

There was an early morning murder of a 57 year old in Ladyville. It happened in the La Milpa area.

Cherisse Halsall headed to Ladyville to find out more about the murder of a Haitian who had built a life in Belize.

It was 6 hours after the start of the national state of emergency when Haitian national Ramon Chesteral was murdered in the front yard of his newly built Ladyville home. His brother who has only been in Belize for two months and speaks no English discovered the body. The only man he could call was Charles Noel Ramon’s best friend. Noel spoke to his this morning and told us that Ramon had wanted to tell him something but he never got to hear what it was.

Charles Noel - Ramon’s Best-friend

“When I got the phone call the was still on the ground but I came they done remove it, so I never reached on time to see it on the ground. Ramon used to drive taxi along with us and from taxi, he went to dollar van from dollar van, he got a US visa he got a Belize passport and he travelled to the US and come back here. So when he reached in the US, he got with a woman, his fiancé and they decided to build, buy a piece of land to build in Belize. So while he was here for the weekend, I believe Sunday, I saw him in Belize at the ATM at Atlantic Bank and I said make sure you get enough money. He said I want to see you, I want you to come to my house, I need to talk to see, something I need to talk to you about. I never did come to see what he needed to talk to me about and he called me when I was at the taxi stand, he said would give me 20 dollars for the car to come see me, I need to talk to you and I never did come. So this morning I received a phone call saying, they shot the man, the man passed away and I don’t know what the motive, if there was a robbery or what ever it is, if he have beef with anyone. So leave it to up god of what has taken place.â€￾

According to Chesteral’s fiance, who spoke to us via phone from the US, his murder is likely linked to a land dispute

Rose Des Jardins - Ramon’s Fiancee

“When we bought the land, he thought it was government’s land and we found out the land belonged to the government, a private property. I was talking to him yesterday afternoon and then usually I was working yesterday and I’m on my break and I called him. When I got home it was 1 o’clock in the morning and usually he called me around 5, 6. I tried to call him this morning, no answer and then I get the bad news.â€￾

Cherisse Halsall

“So what’s you’re suspicion about what happened?â€￾

Rose Des Jardins

“I don’t have no idea because what he told me, when he went to court with ** and ** threatening him to kill him and I told him you should not take it very lightly, you should go to the police to make a complaint but he thinks he wasn’t taking it too seriously. We we’re planning to get evidence in June he coming because he want to finish the house and then come to the US and for us to get married so I can the paper from Belize to live because I was planning to go to do my retirement there.â€￾

And unfinished house and a dream deferred.

A Belize City resident has been detained in connection with this murder.