There were 3 murders over the long weekend, two in the west and one in the south. We start off with the murder of a 22 year old man in Belmopan. Ashley Clarke was out with Friends on Friday night but he never returned home. His family and friends went looking for him and found his decomposed body thrown behind a rundown motel on Sunday afternoon at 12:00. Courtney Weatherburne has more on this brutal murder.
Darlene Clarke crumbles in grief as she tries to figure out why anyone would want her ‘Ash’ dead. Her two nieces sit next to her to comfort her but they too are powerless to make the pain go away.
Clarke was last seen on Friday night. He was hanging out here at the market with his friends, taking a few drinks. They then left after 10:30 and went to end their night out at this bar but when it closed at 12:00, they still were not ready to go home.
Clarke and his crew then left the bar and met up here at this sign post to figure out how they will buy more liquor. That’s when another friend on a motorcycle passed by and gave Clarke a ride.
Tomisho Hernandez - Best Friend
"We see OV pass pan the cycle and we know OV because OV use to like back a Cohune Walk, OV hang with we, OV go da deh house too you know. Da when yeah! yeah! yeah! yeah! OV everybody the holler to get the man attention because he just the fly you know. And he deh pan his lee cycle so he stop and come back da we and when he come da we - whe unno need. They time Ash and DD gone and me and all of we bwai we need a run, we need a run. Whe unno need but we no wa give you the money, somebody gwen with you. He say okay, not that we think he wa theif we too but one person gwen with the man and Ash say yo put the money. They give Ash the money, then Ash jump da back and then they gaan."
And that was the last time Hernandez saw Clarke. That is until they found his body on Sunday afternoon behind the Sweet Dream Garden Motel on constitution drive.
His body was found face down in the bushes. He had been bludgeoned.
Darlene Clarke - Mother
"My common law husband and his brother and one of his friend found the body. They saw his shirt a little bit after 12, it was decomposing already, he had no face. We buried him about 9 that night after they do the autopsy."
Right now, no one knows for sure what exactly happened to Clarke after he went with his friend on the motorcycle and how his body ended up here behind the motel.
Reports are that they both ended up at Cabana where Clarke got into a confrontation with another man.
Darlene Clarke - Mother
"OV come and by my work at BOCA gas station and said Ms. D Ash was with me, he say Ash punch someone in his mouth and Ash run. Ash told him bwai I just punch somebody inna the mouth, start the cycle and run. I asked Ash run where he said down the walk way. I say why you never go help Ash, why you no follow Ash he said he no see where Ash gone."
But police are still trying to put the pieces of this murder together while the family tries to pick up the pieces of their life without Clarke.
Darlene Clarke - Mother
"Why did they have to take his life, they didn't give Ash life, why did they have to take Ash life? They don't know the pain they are putting me through."
Tomisho Hernandez - Best Friend
"Like I say da my breda you know, more than my blood brother. We have to move on because father Ash we call the man too; I da insane he da father Ash, all of we have our own lee name you know. He want us morn and we will remember he because that's always Ash, we have to remember Ash. He da Party party baby, da his lee thing. Party, Party Baby , WHOOO!!"
According to a police report, one person has been detained. The family has organized a candlelight vigil for Clarke tonight at 7:00 at the May Gordon Park in Belmopan.
Email
Print