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Last week Thursday, we told you how the 18 year-old Belmopan Resident, Wilser Echeverria, was arraigned and remanded for a charge related to the death of the Panamanian Diplomat, Jose Rodrigo De la Rosa Stanford. Well tonight, the news is that he will now be charged directly for De La Rosa's murder.

After 6 days of reviewing the case file for herself, the Director of Public Prosecutions signed off, and indicated to the investigator that her office now supports the laying of the charge.

In communication with us today, DPP Cheryl-Lynn Vidal told us quote,

"My request to the police for additional evidence in the Echeverria matter was finally complied with in its entirety this morning and I later gave them the authority to lay the charge of murder. This is obviously a case in which there is no eyewitness evidence and in order to rebut the allegation of the suspect, and prove that the killing was unlawful, the circumstantial and forensic evidence is critical. I could not have properly made a decision until I had certain evidence before me and so no directive was given until today."

Her buy in, as we told you is important because without it, Echeverria cannot be properly charged with murder.

Echeverria's attorneys convinced Magistrate Aretha Ford not to arraign him last week Wednesday because police didn't have the DPP's written leave that she will prosecute Echeverria despite his self-defence claim. He has cooperated with police confessing to De La Rosa's killing, but he claims that he did it in self-defence because the Panamanian Diplomat tried to rape him at gunpoint.

Echeverria was arraigned in Belmopan Magistrate's Court last week for the charge of theft because police say that they can connect him to De La Rosa's missing vehicle and cellular phone which was recovered a day after his body was found. They claim to have a witness who ties Echeverria to these items.