23 year old Christopher Galvez was killed in an area near Faber’s Road in Belize City on the night of Tuesday, 22nd December. The story was that he was sitting in a friend’s car at a boatyard when a gunman came up and shot him in the car. It was written up as a robbery; his jewellery was missing and so was his wallet. He was with a friend, Andre Aguilar but that young man was lucky to have saved his own life. That was the story – but after a post mortem examination Christopher Galvez’s family is just not buying it. The post mortem showed a very different finding and it led them to a series of disturbing discoveries that has led them to conclude that the police are covering up for those who orchestrated Christopher Galvez’s death. We spoke to the Galvez’s at their home on Sunday.

Martin Galvez, Father of Murder Victim
“When Dr. Sanchez came to attend to me, he explained to me that for one thing my son didn’t have to die, the gunshot was one single gunshot which entered, my son was like this when he got shot, the bullet entered here, came out here, entered here, and came out here, passed under the tongue and Sanchez says no vital organ was hit and if they had only rendered assistance to your son, put something to stop the bleeding and take him to the hospital, your son would be alive today and then he went on to say that the stomach didn’t have any lot of food in there, the guy said my son was eating.

I saw Andre Aguilar walking up and down. He didn’t come one minute to me or even look in my direction and say, ‘Mr. Galvez I picked up your son Chris and we came here and somebody jacked your son, somebody shot him and I was trying to help him.’ My son was full of blood, lot of blood on the scene, around the body, and nobody, nobody, I understand there were like nine people supposedly there, and no one tried to help my son.”

In fact the post mortem showed that his son was in a struggle.

Martin Galvez,
“The CIB personnel who was in there, Mr. Arzu, came out and he said you know what, your son wasn’t shot in that vehicle. I said but the guy said he was shot in the vehicle, he left him eating in there. He said because your son has tooth marks on his fist. So definitely he was struggling with someone or more than one person and he says, I will go back and let’s finish up and I’ll come out back and explain more to you and when I get to the station I think we’ll have enough to charge Mr. Aguilar with something.

I felt real bad because what kind of friends are these and then I say we have to do something about it so we looked over at the police officer and he said as soon as we get to the station, we will charge this guy with something because he is definitely covering up something. This guy had proceeded to taking off license plates off his vehicle and throwing it in the bush. He tells one officer that he threw it in the bush and he told another officer that it is in a boat.

However after he went to the police station and I called him, he came to my house and I asked if he had charged the guy and he said the guy has been released already. So I went over to Mr. Blackett’s office, along with my brother, and Mr. Blackett, the police officer who is supposedly like second in command in Belize City, he called over to Queen Street, we were at Raccoon Street Police Station, and he says, well I assume he called because he took his cell phone and did this, I don’t know if he did call or if he didn’t call and he said, ‘you’re sure’ and they told him yes he is still in there. Then I got news that he has already been let out.”

Let out the family claims 9 hours after the murder.

Yolanda Schakron, Aunt of Murder Victim
“Now you tell me Jules, who is being released at 6 o’clock in the morning from the station. Who? Nobody. They had us like fools thinking this boy was detained but he had been in the States already. I am appalled, I am upset, I can’t believe this.”

Police say he was released for his own safety.

Jules Vasquez,
“They’re alleging principally that there was corruption involved in the expeditious release of Andre Aguilar who accompanied Chris Galvez to that boatyard where he met his death. What is your response?”

Crispin Jeffries, Commissioner of Police
“I don’t think there is any corruption. But yes Mr. Segura was tasked with the responsibility to look into that and what we indicated to me is that there was nothing to go on at that specific time and they will continue their interviews and then persons will be released and detained when they have information to work with. The specific information we needed at the time was there, we were of the opinion that that person that you indicated to me could have been more of an intended victim also.”

Yolanda Schakron,
“He needs to be brought back to Belize to answer. We saw him 20 minutes earlier leave Red House yard with my nephew. I never saw my nephew alive again. What is it, is it because he is rich? Society? So justice different for the rich than the poor people? That is what it looks like. I can kill somebody, pay the police, and be free. What kind of justice we have here?”

Crispin Jeffries,
“And I think that this is one of the realities we live with. There are persons who have been privileged and there are persons who have those in power and in positions that will continuously seek the release of persons and it doesn’t necessarily mean rich kids, there are those who would call who they know to see if they can be assisted.”

Jules Vasquez,
“But it shouldn’t happen in your department, your department shouldn’t discriminate.”

Crispin Jeffries,
“We don’t discriminate. That is the apparent situation right now.”

The family claims that special treatment is a part of a vast cover-up.

Yolanda Schakron,
“This is not a gang war. They are trying to make it look like that Jules. My nephew was executed. He was executed and the police officers are covering up. And I say this on TV live, I am not afraid. God protects me, I am not afraid, but I want the truth to be known because this has been going on for too long.”

Now the Galvez’s say they are being harassed by the police officer who happened unto the scene shortly after the killing.

Yolanda Schakron,
“And that same police officer who was first at the scene Jules, he came to our yard at Red House and threatened my other nephews, my sons were there, flinging his gun in front of everybody. My son was terrified, he thought he would shoot him. My son was 15 years old. We don’t have to be go through this, we’re already dealing with the death of nephew. He came back another night and we locked the gate with officers in the police truck with him.”

Jules Vasquez,
“He came here saying what?”

Yolanda Schakron,
“He was cursing up my nephews and saying that if we continue accusing him that he killed my nephew that some of us will die. I have gotten threatening texts that they are going to kill us. I am not afraid Jules but I want justice and that is why I appeal to Mr. Barrow, start an investigation, find out what’s happening in our Police Department because if they cannot protect us who will protect us. At this moment this family is afraid to speak to the Police. You know we were being text by the killer from Chris’s phone for almost two days and we’re telling the police and they are not even listening to us.”

Jules Vasquez,
“What sort of message did you receive in those texts?”

Yolanda Schakron,
“I was told that my brother would be killed. I was told that we were a good family but that Chris is the sacrifice and he had to be killed. We were told that Chris was turned in by his own friends, that he used to hang around, and they executed him. I was told that I heard you went to the police but I am not afraid of the killer, he is a coward.”

Martin Galvez,
“This police officer coming in there and taking out his weapon and threatening my family because he claims we are spreading that he did it. I am not spreading that. Jules, after I checked my son’s body into that morgue, that night, I was going up my step after driving home, straight home, a police officer called me and said you know who killed your son, the same police officer who we’re talking about. A police officer called me and said you know kill your son Martin, he said so and so, the same said police officer we are talking about. So they won’t solve this crime because they are hiding it. They have a lot to hide.”

Yolanda Schakron,
“I just want to bring it to the public to know what’s happening and I want Mr. Barrow to know what’s happening in the Police Department because not all of them are crooked but cover up, they don’t want the department get stained and I appeal to Mr. Barrow and Mr. Perdomo to please do something because the pain we feel, it is not easy.”

Martin Galvez,
“Who can we turn to now? Who can we turn to Mr. Prime Minister? I voted for you because I have always been a PUP but I couldn’t stand any more of the corruption the PUP was doing. Me Martin Galvez, I can say that on TV now. I am always a PUP but I vote UDP because I wanted a change but for the worst obviously. It’s ridiculous.”

And while the outrage at the police is real – the family accepts that their son and nephew kept dangerous friends.

Yolanda Schakron,
“I think that Chris knew too much and Chris had told my son that he wanted out of this life, he wanted to dedicate his life to his son, he has a two year old son that he loves and sometimes we talk to our children but they don’t listen. Sometimes they pick their friends and say oh my friends love me and that is what Chris used to tell us and you know….”

Martin Galvez,
“He was used and then put out there for the slaughter.”

At this afternoon’s press conference, Commissioner Jeffries amplified his comments on the case. He told us first that he checked and Andre Aguilar was detained for a little over 24 hours – not 6 hours as the Galvez’s are claiming. And while that is still not the 48 hours that is usually taken for suspects in a murder investigation – Jeffries stressed that there was no reason for investigators to believe he was a suspect. Here are his comments.

Crispin Jeffries,
“That person was questioned extensively, held in custody for a little over 24 hours, gave a statement and was released. Two attorneys were present off and on during those periods and he was dealt with. At that time there was no further interest in him and that is where we are with that. As I said this morning, if it is something that there is evidence gathered that he needs to be questioned or dealt with, we will treat it as such. There are mechanisms in place that we can use to deal with that.”

Jules Vasquez,
“But were you aware, because the family is claiming the investigating officer, one Arzu from CIB, was not aware that he had been released when he was released? They also say on the record that Mr. Blackett, second in command of Eastern Division, did not know when he had been released, that he had in fact been surreptitiously released.”

Crispin Jeffries,
“That is not my information. Mr. Segura has in fact been questioned about that with other senior officers and my information from them is that in fact the person was questioned extensively, there was no further interest in him, and he was released. My information this morning was that the person was kept in custody six to nine hours. That is not the case based on our records.”

As for the police officer that the Galvez’s claim was also involved and who they say has been harassing them – Jeffries says he remains on active duty but has been transferred out of the city – presumable to avoid further interaction with the Galvez’s. Christopher Galvez was the father of a two year old boy.