7 News Belize

Teenager Killed In Lake - I
posted (September 13, 2010)
And half an hour after police got called to that murder - they had to respond to another, this one in the Lake Independence area on Moya street where a teenager lay dead.

Monica Bodden tried to find out why anyone would want to kill this 17 year old.

Monica Bodden, Reporting
17 year old Marlon Zelaya was found lying face down under this unfinished wooden structure. Just a couple yards away from his house - in this housing unit area.

His body was found by a neighbor about 5:30 Sunday morning. What makes it interesting is - no one in the yard heard any shots fired.

Chloe Payne - Grandmother
"Well the Saturday we went to carnival. When I finish seeing carnival I came home, he was out here all that while. I send to buy 3 stout and I drink that sitting right here and from there I ask him to go and buy a fried rice for me. I was looking for a bike to go and buy the food, I told him not to worry about it and I ask one of my neighbors to go and buy it. When I finish eating that I went to sleep in my bed. I didn't hear anything."

His Grandmother believes he was shot earlier that night.

Chloe Payne - Grandmother
"Well the way that I found his hand; it was stiff. He died early because he was stiff when they took him."

17 year old Zelaya was shot to the left side of his head.

His uncle lashed out with this angry this tirade morning - tired of the seemingly never-ending crime situation in the country.

Tyrone Avila - Uncle
"My nephew dead, everybody else is dead. What will happen out of this? Nothing will happen. You see Dean Barrow, he is eating steak while we are eating noodles. What will we eat, that is what we will eat for the rest of our life. We blame the government for the crime because if it is left up to the government we can lock off every street in Belize with the amount of BDF and police that we have, we can put 2 police and BDF on every lane."

And for this grandmother - justice can come later - what she needs right now is help to bury her 17 year old grandson.

Monica Bodden
"Do you want justice?"

Chloe Payne - Grandmother
"No really, I just want to bury him and get it off of my hands that's all."

No expended shells were found on that scene.

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