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7news has been on the story since last night and Monica Bodden has this report.

Monica Bodden Reporting
This is the Geo Prizm that 32 year old Geovanni Lauriano was driving.....it was seen at 5:30 p.m. on the swampy shoulder of the highway at Mile 16 on the Western Highway…by a relative who thought he had crashed. But it was no crash; 100 feet away - on this feeder road - his sister in law found his lifeless body…these bullet holes on this small car tell us - it was shot up several times before it was forced off the road by another car that had reportedly been circling the village all afternoon waiting for Lauriano to head home.

They chased and rammed into him and when he crashed in the bushes it is believed that Lauriano then dashed out of the car to escape the gunman who pursued him and shot him multiple times to the head and once to the chest

Two hours after at 7:30 p.m. last night, on the scene - were Police Officers - the scenes of crime experts - along with the Commissioner of Police Crispin Jefferies -who is a resident of the same Belizean American community where Luaraino lived. Police scoured the crime scene- scoping out the area for whatever trace of evidence that can be found - to help solve the late evening murder. This 1996 Geo Prizm was later pulled out these bushes by this police vehicle and shortly after, Lauriano's body was placed in the bed of this police pickup truck.

A throng of onlookers from the village stood on the road-side to see one of the most well known residents being carted away. His grieving mother had to be consoled by relatives - as she looked on - as her son's lifeless body was taken away in a police truck.

Today we caught up with Lauriano's mother at the morgue who told us she is trying to stay strong.

Rosalie Lauriano, Mother
"One of my friend call and ask me 'what you doing' and I said 'sitting down and talking to my nephew' so he say 'it is true Geovanni dead' I told him no. I ask him where you heard that from, he said that someone told him. Then my nephew call and it was then that we got the message. I shouted and cry; I cry out to the Lord and ask him for strength, peace and comfort. I didn't get angry and I didn't curse, I didn't say I wanted revenge. I cry out as a mad woman because death sting."

And even though he was viewed by many as one of Belize's most notorious figures - for his mother - her son was just a simply loving person.

Rosalie Lauriano, Mother
"All I ask people who don't know him, come and ask me, feel free to visit 42 Flamboyant Street or give me a call at 202-5521 and ask me who was Geovanni Harim Lauriano, the son, the laundry man, the cook and yes someone who use to read the bible. Strange as it may seem and he was well loved in my neighbourhood. When I tell you well love, I get call right through the night, my house look like bazaar. Despite what many people might say of him, yes he wasn't a saint and at time probably he was wrong. But I aint the judge, I leave everything in God's hands because is the ultimate judge."

Monica Bodden
"Mrs. Lauriano, you think your son was painted wrongly by society on a whole?"

Rosalie Lauriano
"Well I wouldn't say every time, but most of the time."

Monica Bodden
"And as a mother you've been by his side through everything?"

Rosalie Lauriano
"Through everything. Sometime I climb up the police station steps, the courthouse step and yes the prison. But I never did give up on him. Up to now I didn't give up on him. God is the one who have the ultimate decision."

According to this grieving mother - she leaves justice to God.

Rosalie Lauriano
"I wouldn't say the system don't give justice, but then I don't want the justice of the land because if I seek justice probably I will be judging and I aint a judge. My God will do all the judging. To the person or persons who murder him, shoot him down, all I have to say, no retaliation, no hatred, I leave everything in the hands of the Lord. And if the person who murders my son at anytime would need someone to talk to, someone to lead him to the Lord can call me, come to my house because I will welcome that person with open arms as long as he is truly repentant."

Today Geovanni Lauriano leaves behind his wife of two years and his step daughter. His mother says words cannot describe how much he truly will be missed.

Rosalie Lauriano
"I will miss my son very much. I feel like fish out of water because I miss his hug, I miss his call and miss his visits. And for the many people who pint him black as he is, they should have gotten to know the true Geovanni Harim Lauriano, not the person that they nickname 'nose.'"

No suspects have been detained. Police are also looking for the car that the gunmen used but it has not been found. Sources tell us that police are investigating it as a gang related killing. Word in the village is that it was retaliation for a homicide which happened in the village last year. According to our sources, Louriano and members of his family had been shot at in the village at least twice within the last year.

As we noted at the top, over the years Luriano has been charged for a high profile string of burglaries and robberies - dating back to June 1998 when Brodies was burglarised and a number of rifles were stolen. Most recently, in January of this year he was charged for the attempted murder of a policeman and had been remanded for that. He had also been charged for armed robberies - slash home invasions at two affluent homes of prominent persons.

But, with all that on his rap sheet, we stress, Lauriano had not been convicted of any offence, to our knowledge.