7 News Belize

Canadian Retiree Killed In Consejo
posted (October 30, 2013)

Tonight, Corozal Police continue to investigate the first murder in 7 months in that district, and it’s a terrible one: the stabbing death of a 57 year-old female Canadian retiree.

Investigators are seeking the help of the public because there are very few clues in the crime which happened in the secluded village of Consejo, a place where many North Americans settle down to retire.

7News went to the village, to find out how it unfolded; Daniel Ortiz reports:

Daniel Ortiz

The community of Consejo Village in the Corozal District has been shaken by the murder of Canadian 56 year-old Patricia Lynn Nichiporowich.

The Consejo Shores area is a well-known real estate location where international retirees settle down, and as such, they expect to leave peacefully.

That peace and sense of security was violated last night.

ASP Daniel Arzu - Deputy OC, Corozal Police
"Just about, or even before, we received information of an incident at Consejo Village, here in Corozal District. We responded to the information received. There, we arrived at a 2-storey concrete building. Inside we observed a Caucasian female, a woman, on the floor in the living room, faced down in what appeared to be blood, apparently dead. From the passport that we found in the premises, it reveals the name of the person to be that of Patricia Lynn Nichiporowich. She is a Canadian, 57 years-old."

Police say that to get into the upper flat, where Nichiporowich was staying is quite difficult because there is one way in and out. There was no sign of forced entry, so how did the culprit or culprits gain entry?

ASP Daniel Arzu
"It appears that a person (or persons) may have made entry by climbing to the upper flat of the building, and exited by the same means, jumping down and making their escape. That is basically what we discovered. We found a knife on the couch inside the living room, smeared with what appears to blood, and the injuries observed on the body would seem to be that of injuries from a sharp object."

Her nearby neighbors are mostly American and Canadian retirees, and as such, they are very avid followers the community watch system. They responded quickly, so the assailant didn’t have time to clean out the house of its valuables.

ASP Daniel Arzu
"This would seem to be a home invasion, and with the quick response of the neighbours, I believe that the person or persons who gained entry to that building were extremely distracted. They had to quickly flee that scene because of the presence of the neighbours. From information gathered, the neighbours were alerted by screaming and panicked yelling, and they responded. Those people within that neighbourhood are very much into that neighbourhood watch activities, and when they responded, the person or persons attacking were distracted, and they had to flee."

Investigators are not sure if there is anything missing, but they are doubtful because there were quite a bit of small but valuable electronics, that could have been an easy haul, which were left undisturbed.

In Canada, Nichiporowich was an indoor air quality specialist with over 30 years’ experience. Police say that her spouse left Belize on Monday, and he is currently in Florida.

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