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Jealous Lover Chops Canadian Man To Death In Buena Vista Village
posted (December 23, 2013)
A Canadian man was murdered on Friday in the village of Buena Vista in the Cayo District. 68 year old Keith Haslam, who lives in Salvapan was found murdered on a farm five miles from Buena Vista. He had been beaten and chopped to death. Why such a brutal end? Well, the man who allegedly did it thought Haslam was having an affair with his wife! Daniel Ortiz went west to find out about his confession today:..

Daniel Ortiz reporting
This farm, some 6 miles outside of Buena Vista village, is where the body of 68 year - old Canadian Keith Haslam Dawson was found.

He had multiple chop wounds, and it is believed that the one he suffered to windpipe was the fatal injury.

The man he was staying with was the first person to realize that he was missing.

Nelson Hyde - Reported Him Missing
"I notice the man was missing because on the morning that I woke up, I know that he didn't have anywhere to go and I saw him missing. I had figure that something was wrong because I saw some hair from him in my yard. That's the reason I figure that something had happened to him and I ended up making a report to the police because the incident happened at my house and I wasn't involve in that in any way. I have my children that are very young to take care of and I don't want to shield those kind of things because it is a serious matter."

Hyde's brother is the main suspect, and so he felt that he had a duty do the right thing. That report set in motion the events which uncovered that Dawson suffered a violent death.

Insp. Reymundo Reyes - Deputy OC, San Ignacio Police
"We had a report made on Friday. A young man by the name of Nelson Hyde came to the Spanish Lookout Police Station first, made a report that Mr. Keith Haslam, 68 years old Canadian retired, who was staying at his house is missing and he could have said is that the night before, his brother and the young lady who was the wife of Mr. Keith, Ruth Jones and the gentleman were under a palapa inside their compound drinking. He went to sleep sometime after midnight leaving 3 persons under the shed. On the morning when he got up he made checks for the old man in his room and found that the person was nowhere to be found. He calls his cell number in an effort to try to find out where he is and it was a different person that answered the phone. The phone was retrieved, we found out that the phone was damaged and immediately the brother suspected that something had happen to the old man."

"As a result we made up a team of police officers who visited the establishment. Hair of the gentleman could have been found on top of the table. But then in the farm there was a plywood building, when we search it, the sock of the gentleman was seen on top of the chair. His belt was seen outside the building."

Nelson Hyde - Reported Him Missing
"I don't really understand, maybe it was a jealousy thing, but as far as I am concern I don't think he had any problem with the white man because he was a little old man. So, maybe it was a jealousy matter that happens. I am not really sure about anything because I didn't get any comments from him."

Reporter
"Your brother, is he known to be somebody violent?"

Nelson Hyde - Reported Him Missing
"I know him as a man that smoke crack and for years I have never heard my brother gotten charge for murder. This is the first time. I am not sure if it was him that did it, or if he has gotten set up."

But the brother has confessed to it, and so San Ignacio investigators are only waiting on the DPP to give the directive to charge him with murder.

Insp. Reymundo Reyes - Deputy OC, San Ignacio Police
"He was captured shortly after 7pm at Buena Vista Village at the farm along with Ruth Jones. Upon being questioned, he had admitted that he had already killed Mr. Keith and as a result he volunteered and he gave a statement to the police. After 1am in the morning he took police about 6 miles east of Buena Vista Village where he point out the area inside a creek where the police saw the lifeless body of the Canadian retiree in a face up position with appears to be a cut wound on the back of his head."

"Investigations so far have revealed that Ruth Jones is the wife of Mr. Keith Haslam, but appears that she was having an affair."

That affair with the main suspect is believed to be what prompted a jealous rage which ended the Canadian's life.

Forensic Pathologist Doctor Hugh Sanchez concluded that Dawson died due to chop wounds across the Wind Pipe.

We have the identity and picture of the man accused the crime, and even though he has confessed, he has not been charged, so we cannot release it. The reason is that he has previously confessed to another murder in the Belmopan are, and then recanted it last minute saying hat he was trying to protect the woman in the middle of that murder.

68 year-old Keith Haslam Dawson was only in Buena Vista for 3 days before he met his end.

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