7 News Belize

Another Cabbie Killed On San Pedro
posted (May 4, 2015)
Another Taxi driver from San Pedro Town was slain over the weekend. He was stabbed to death, his throat cut, and his body left right beside his taxi van. Police believe that he may have been robbed, and from all appearances, he was yet another hardworking cab driver and a family man.

42 year-old Donicio Trujillo is the second taxi driver to be killed in only 5 days, and so his peers are worried that the criminal elements on the island are targeting them. 7News travelled to the island today, and spoke with police, Trujillo's family and his fellow cabbies to try to get some answers. Daniel Ortiz reports.

Daniel Ortiz reporting
42 year-old Donicio Trujillo's body was discovered here at this section of the island of San Pedro. It's known as the Marina Area, which leads to the new Dump Site.

A few 100 yards in the opposite direction is the docking site where all the barges unload their cargo. It's basically the lifeblood of the islands supplies from the mainland, but as you can see, it has no lights or lampposts. So, in the dark of Sunday morning, Trujillo's killers attacked him at this spot.

Sgt. Lenancio Bol - Station Sergeant, San Pedro Police
"The lifeless body of a male person was seen in a drain, in a pool of water just off the dirt road. The body was viewed, where it was observed that it had what appears to be stab wounds. One to the center of the abdomen, to the chest area, also to the left forearm and to his throat."

Dorla Moralez - Niece of Deceased
"He had a stab under his heart. He had another stab under his chest and they cut his throat and then they hit him with a rock on his head."

Sgt. Lenancio Bol - Station Sergeant, San Pedro Police
"Also seen was a grey in color taxi van, parked on the same dirt road about 20-30 feet away from where the body was discovered."

Dorla Moralez - Niece of Deceased
"He didnt have any enemies at all. I am living here for 6 years now on this island and have never seen anyone approached him for any problem or anything. He didn't have any enemies. He was a hardworking man. He had been sole parent for his 4 kids; Oscar, Yadira, Emmanuel and Dennis. He was a really nice person. He was more than an uncle. He was like a dad, a brother and good friend to all his nieces."

Daniel Ortiz
"Sir, is San Pedro police concerned that taxi drivers are being targeted at this time by the criminal elements on the island?"

Sgt. Lenancio Bol - Station Sergeant, San Pedro Police
"Definitely, we place that in high consideration, but I don't want to put anything out there to say that the criminal elements or anyone - that the taxi operators are being targeted. Nevertheless, we are looking at different angles in terms of how we will go about dealing with it especially after this second murder. We are looking at this last murder as robbery as the motive. This person, after checking his identity, we confirmed there was no cash, after information received that he has some sort of money on him. We check different areas, but there was nothing to suggest he had any money on him after he was murdered. We are looking at this one maybe as a robbery."

While police are being careful not to suggest that the taxi drivers are being targeted, the taxi drivers on the island we spoke to are concerned about their safety. They suspect that they are under threat, and are asking for patience from the general public who they serve, especially passengers looking for late night taxi runs.

Alfonso Wiltshire - Concerned Taxi Driver
"Out here some of them are saying 'you know what Mr. Wiltshire, what do we have to do now that when people call us in the middle of the night that they need a service?' and fortunately or unfortunately speaking, we the taxi drivers - we are the ambulance of this island. We are the ones that take the bank people and all the services that has to be done here - the taxi drivers are the ones that normally would do this service. As of right now as we speak, everybody is concerned about who they are picking up 'should I take this person?' And this is when people would say these guys are being like racist or trying to not take certain people. But unfortunately speaking, it is so hard, because our daily lives depends on the taxi service that we performed and we would like to be nice with the general public and we are asking the general public to please coop with us until everything goes back to calm."

Trujillo is the father of 4 children, and the second eldest couldn't be told about his death up until after this evening, because she was taking PSE. Her family was concerned that the news would have made her emotionally unstable, and that she probably wouldn't have been able to sit the exam.

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