As we told you at the top of the newscast, there were four murders in the Belize Rural this weekend. Two were executions, and the other two victims, strangely, were both men whose vehicles had broken down on the Western Highway and they were walking home - in each case less than a half a mile. The differences are that the first one happned at around 6:00 pm - that was Jose Campo and he was apparently chopped to death.
The second victim was John Gideon and he was chopped to death. At around midnight on Friday, the 32 year old Hattieville Resident's car ran out of gas, and when he decided to walk home he was shot and killed.
Monica Bodden found out more about his tragic death:...
Monica Bodden reporting
The body of 32 year old John Gideon was found here at mile 17 on the Western Highway- less than half mile from where he lives.
Around midnight on Friday, Gideon body was discovered lying face down in a pool of blood on the shoulder of the highway - His grey Mercedes Benz was parked opposite from where his body lay.
He was seen suffering from 3 gunshot wounds - one to the head, face and back.
Darret Dominguez - Wife of Gideon
"The police said that they found him across the road and the vehicle across the other side."
Monica Bodden
"Nothing was stolen from the vehicle?"
Darret Dominguez - Wife of Gideon
"Nothing at all. I feel like his car had ran out of gas and then he took out the battery because he wouldn't leave the battery in the car and then he was heading home because everybody saw the battery a little ways from him."
John Gideon left his home around 11:30 on Friday night to drop off two of his friends. On his way back, it is believed that his vehicle ran out of gas. He took out his car battery and locked up his vehicle and then attempted to walk home. According to police, the gruesome murder was committed by an unidentified man who approached Gideon on a bicycle about 100 yards away from a bus shed and opened fire on him. The man then rode off.
Darret Dominguez - Wife of Gideon
"I don't know. I can't really say. All I can say is that who did it knows who did it. He was a person who comes home and asks me to pray and take care of his kids. I just want justice, but in Belize we don't have that. I know God will watch over me and my kids and he will always be there for us. He is gone, but to me he is still around because we lived together for 12 years and it's not easy. Everybody has to die, but this is not the way I wanted him to die, not like that."
Today Gideon leaves behind his two young children. As for his wife of 12 years, she hopes for justice but hardly expect any.
Darret Dominguez - Wife of Gideon
"To me it's like everything is Belize is going unsolved. I just want justice because there are people who saw, but in Belize people don't like to talk, it's sad. He was into us, into his kids and his son wake up yesterday and saw his car outside and he said "dada" and then my daughter look at him and said that daddy is dead, he will not come back. That just hurts me because he loves his kids."
Monica Bodden
"If you could say one thing to that person who took his life, what would it be?"
Darret Dominguez - Wife of Gideon
"He took away somebody whom I love; he is from high school days and I don't know why they did it - even if they shot him - don't shot him to kill him, but it already happen. The person who did it - I just want him to know that God will watch over us and God will watch over him or she and they have family too and one day they will feel what I am feeling because at the end of the day God makes us and take us but I rather that he died from a sickness but not in that way and to leave his two kids; my daughter is 6 and my son is 1 year and two months."
"He use to always tell me that his father died and he didn't know him and that he wanted hi kids to know him, unfortunately it doesn't look like it will happen. I will have to be their mother and father now."
This year would have made it 5 years that John was working at the San Pedro Belize Express Water taxi Terminal.
He was one of the first employees with the company when they opened their doors.
His job was a porter and over the years he had earned the reputation of being a trustworthy and dependable employee.
Today a memorial was set up in front of the baggage department inside the Terminal - while black bows were draped all around the area in remembrance of John Gideon.
Kein Marin - Operation Manager
"John to be honest was more like a sidekick, my right hand. Whatever I needed, whatever he had, he would be there on my side. It's a big lost for the company. It's more like a brother gone for us and also the best worker I had. John was loved by everyone, people who are travelling through are shock, they cry, it's a big shock for everyone because they didn't expect that."
Monica Bodden
"How is the San Pedro Express family dealing with this today?"
Kein Marin - Operation Manager
"You could feel that someone is missing. Whenever he is here - service - you can't complain."
Gideon was the father of two.
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