7 News Belize

Senior Citizen Murdered In Maskall
posted (January 21, 2013)
But right now we turn from news of the government's finances to murder - the ninth of 2013. This time the victim is an older man - and he was killed in Belize Rural. Monica Bodden went to Maskall village to find out about the violent death Fitzroy Morales:..

Monica Bodden reporting
61 year old Ervin Morales was found dead inside his home in the village of Maskal just after midday on Saturday afternoon.

The elderly man was discovered by a neighbor - lying face down on his bedroom floor -wrapped in a blanket.

He had a chop wound to the back of his head, left shoulder, hand and both elbows.

A villager identified as Emilia Gotoy who normally cooks for Morales - became concerned when he did not show up for lunch on Saturday afternoon.

Knowing that Morales suffers from epilepsy, Gotoy asked someone to go check up on him.

Elvis Johnson - Friend
"Everyday Mr. Morales goes to my mother's house for food. He goes at least say 11:30 and when my mom watch her clock and see that it was minutes to twelve she say that she will give him more time. She says that after 12 she called sister Ferguson down the road and ask if she didn't see him and she says no. She says that she asks Paul to ask, he was eating, so she sends Clarence, he walk around the house and didn't see anybody. She sends Kareem my grandson - when he went in he found him inside the house. When I went in the house I saw him laying down face down with a chop behind his head wrapped up in a blanket. From the time I saw that I knew that someone had killed him."

There were no signs of forced entry on the home of Ervin Morales. And from what we gathered, only his wallet is missing.

Morales was last seen doing yard work on his property only 2 hours before he was found murdered.

Monica Bodden
"Mr. Elvis, you care to tell me that when you saw the body for yourself, did you notice any force of entry? Was the door broken into or anything to that sort?"

Elvis Johnson - Friend
"The door wasn't broken so I believe the person was dodging him. He went to buy grocery from my mom at 8:30 in the morning and he left. After he left he went over the bridge to some friends, Chan, and then he came back."

Reporter
"You are saying it's sometime between 10 o' clock and when his body was discovered around 12:30 - that's when this gruesome murder happened?"

Elvis Johnson - Friend
"That's right."

There were no traces of blood inside the house of 61 year old Morales -which indicates to villagers that his murderer was swift to clean the crime scene.

Elvis Johnson - Friend
"There was no blood stain; it was so surprising because when I went in there no blood was on the floor. The floor was clean, so the persons (I don't believe that one person did it) who did it clean up the spot and they were quick."

We understand police have a suspect in question for Morales's murder. But while this latest homicide is being investigated, it has left this entire community worried that there might be a murderer lurking in the area.

Elvis Johnson - Friend
"I don't know why they killed him because Mr. Morales is not a bad man. From I was a boy I knew Mr. Morales; that church right there, Mr. Morales rang that bell every Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. He is the church bell man for that church, everybody knows Erwin as a Christian man. He doesn't give any trouble, somebody come to kill that poor innocent man. I would want to ask the police authority to please send some police to Maskall because we don't have any because the one that is here; just like nothing. He and nothing is the same thing. Somebody broke in our church and the police man knows who have the things - the young man brag to me saying that the police didn't arrest him. The police didn't arrest him for real."

With the help of community members, Police have moved swiftly to make progress on that investigation - and have already detained one suspect. They are seeking two more suspects.

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