Tonight, family, friends and colleagues continue to mourn the untimely passing of 31 year-old Rafael Abel Rivas. The career BDF Soldier was stabbed to death in Orange Walk town on Saturday night in what appears to be a bar brawl.
Right now, there are two drastically different reports of how he was fatally stabbed. The first is that he was acting as peace keeper, and he was trying to stop a fight when the man armed with the knife turned his rage on him. The next is that he got into bar brawl where his attacker pulled a knife and stabbed him several times.
So which is it? That's what we tried to find out from his brother, Hilberto Rivas, on Sunday afternoon. We found Rivas at the cemetery in Carmelita Village where they were already preparing a grave for Rafael's burial. Here's what he had to say:
Hilberto Rivas, brother of deceased
"The information received was that he was coming from work and when he arrived there, (I was not there) but information received like I said that two guys had a misunderstanding with him and they started to fight and that is where the fatal stabbing occurred and that was it."
Reporter
"Do you know where he was stabbed and how many times he was stabbed?"
Hilberto Rivas, brother of deceased
"According to people who were there he got one stab. But this morning, I learnt that he got 7 stab wounds. I do not know until I go for the post mortem on Thursday, we will know exactly what took place. At this time I do not know what really happened. All I know that something went wrong and he is not here with us anymore."
Reporter
"Have you spoken with the owners of Panda? Maybe they have security footage that would show what happened."
Hilberto Rivas, brother of deceased
"Information received that I got on text, say don't worry, ask for the video footage at Panda's. I know if they do, the police would have it."
"He is a very cool guy. He have 12 years serving his country. He is in BDF. I don't know what happened, only he and the persons who were there know exactly what took place. I do not know."
Reporter
"Do you believe that your brother was drunk and got into a drunken argument with them over this girl that works there?"
Hilberto Rivas, brother of deceased
"I asked about that and nobody have a clear view if he was drinking or not. That's the first thing I asked. Nobody knows. Only she and the person that was in there knows what took place."
Reporter
"What would you hope to come out of the police investigation of your brother's murder?"
Hilberto Rivas, brother of deceased
"I am a law enforcement officer as well. I am Corporal Rivas, in the Belize Coast Guard, I served 7 years in the Belize Defence Force as well. I believe that the law will do their part."
The official police version of the events say that Rivas got into a quarrel with another man at around 9 p.m. at the Panda Bar. That escalated into a fight, and that's when another man held him from behind. The man he was fighting with then pulled out a knife and stabbed him several times, which ended in his death. The man police say was the killer is 32 year-old Gian Guerra of San Francisco Street, Orange Walk. Guerra has since been arrested and charged with murder.
BDF soldiers who we have spoken to say that Rafael Rivas was an exemplary soldier who served his country faithfully for 12 years. He was a part of the light engineering company.
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