Tonight, Belmopan police have one man detained, and are looking for another in connection with the savage machete murder of a security guard that was discovered early this morning.
Feliciano Noralez, better known as "Mac" was a well-known and well-liked resident of Belmopan, but he met an unusually cruel end last night. This morning when his employers reported to work, they found him dead, he had been chopped multiple times in the head, and his right arm was severed.
It's the kind of end not expected for a man, who by all accounts, was a quiet law-abiding citizen. So, why was he murdered? That's what our news team spent the entire day in Belmopan trying to piece together. Daniel Ortiz reports:
Daniel Ortiz reporting
This picture of 59 year-old Feliciano Noralez/McKoy, better known as "Mac", is how his loved-ones will remember him, peacefully asleep after a long day of family-filled quality time.
Sherida Arana - Common-law Wife of Deceased
"The most thing I will miss from him is that he made me smile every day. He was my pride and joy. In life I was really happy and then they just took that away from me."
Kodi McKoy - Son of Deceased
"He was a person who was loving to everyone, the neighbors, friends, all the kids - we love my father and he shows us love and appreciation."
Police and Scenes of Crime personnel visited the Anchor Security Office on the dirt road just off Entrepreneur Road to process the scene of his violent murder. He was hacked to death by a cold-blooded killer.
Noralez who was employed with Anchor Security, was on duty at his company's second floor office at around 3 a.m. this morning.
He was in the company of another man who had left a few minutes before, and that's when one or 2 assailants, armed with a machete climbed the steps and ambushed him inside the office area.
Police believe that the machete wielder attacked before the Noralez knew what was happening, chopping him multiple times to the head and body eventually chopping off the security guard's right hand.
Eyewitnesses told the media off the record that they saw a man wearing a hoodie, who raced down the steps and fled the scene before anyone could make out his face.
The management of the security company discovered their murdered employee this morning, and informed police.
Supt. Howell Gillett - OC, Belmopan Police
"We received a call of distress in the Entrepreneur Road of Belmopan City. We promptly responded to that scene. On our arrival we discovered a male person of dark complexion who suffered several apparent chop wounds to the upper part of the body. The person was later learned to be Mr. Feliciano Richard Noralez, a 60 year old resident of Belmopan. What we've been told so far that a phone, some cash and a 9mm belonging to the Anchor Security was missing. He was working up until 2:30am I think along with another security officer, who I believe was his supervisor. But as is customary in the security business, this supervisor went to check on the other posts within Belmopan and it is sometime then when the crime was reported Mr. Noralez lost his life."
But the question everyone is asking at this time is why did the men kill him?
Supt. Howell Gillett - OC, Belmopan Police
"We have more than two motives in the earlier part of this investigation. But as you would readily agree that this is a young investigation, but thus far we remain with two possible motives; one is robbery, because items were stolen and two, is that a disgruntle employee might have gone back to hurt someone and send a message to the company. So, those are the two motives. I think that we are more narrowing down onto one."
All of that has nothing to do with the man Noralez himself, and just the thought that he was innocently killed causes rage in his family members.
Sherida Arana - Common-law Wife of Deceased
"If I could only see the person, I would ask him why. I would watch him in the face and ask him why, because he didn't do anybody anything."
Kodi McKoy - Son of Deceased
"This person came and took my father like this, the brutal chopping up and the disfigurement of my father. I hope you have some kind of .... I don't know what to say, but they have to realize what they are doing to this family that they are hurting, because it's not one or two persons, this man has a young child."
But, they need not worry because Belmopan Police are making headway in solving this crime.
Supt. Howell Gillett - OC, Belmopan Police
"So far we have one person in custody and we are looking for a second person who can greatly assist us in this investigation. We have thus far recovered the phone and we are looking for the other two items along with the next suspect that we believe can help us in this investigation."
Sherida Arana - Common-law Wife of Deceased
"All I want is justice, this totally nonsense, because he went leaving a 3 weeks old baby. My baby would not know who is the father."
Kodi McKoy - Son of Deceased
"We just hope that at the end of the day we could get some justice. That's all we want, so it doesn't have to be street justice, because street justice is right around the corner. Anyone of us can do that, but we want the real justice from the law."
Noralez had been working at Anchor Security in Belmopan for about a year.
Belmopan police believe that in the near future they will charge persons for the murder. Investigators believe that Noralez could have been a victim of armed theft, or it could be a statement being sent to the management of Anchor Security. We tried our very best to get an interview from one of the company's managers but he declined later on after we waited for 2 hours.
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