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Corozal Murder Victim Was Chopped/Shot
posted (December 8, 2016)

Tonight, Corozal police continue to investigate an early morning murder which has some very puzzling aspects. This morning before 3 a.m., the cops happened upon 36 year-old Corozal Town Resident Armando Pelayo Jr. He was right next door to his G Street home, and he was suffering from 2 gunshot wounds and several chop wounds to the face and the forearms. 

They rushed him to the Hospital but he succumbed to his injuries.  Before he died, police did try to learn from him the identity of his attackers, but he refused to cooperate. 

Now, how the cops happened to be in the area at the time is a coincidence that may have some connection to the crime. A night patrol spotted a suspicious, heavily tinted car and followed it. That vehicle led them to the house belonging to Pelayo, who is very well-known to them. That’s when they happened upon Pelayo in distress. He had fled his home begging for someone to help get to the hospital because had just been shot and chopped. 

In the commotion of rushing him off for treatment, they abandoned the suspicious car – which could have some connection to the murder. 

Today, the officer Commanding Corozal Police briefed the press on what police know so far about this perplexing case:

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold - OC, Corozal
"We had a burglary patrol team out around Corozal where about that time they saw a white tinted glass car and they decided to follow that car. They followed that car to G Street, that car stopped in front of Mr. Armando Pelayo's house. Two person alighted that said vehicle, a male and a female. The police officers alighted their patrol mobile where they saw a female person coming from Mr. Pelayo's house. At that same time the neighbour were yelling to the police officers for help, the officers went to the neighbour’s house where they saw Mr. Armando Pelayo, 36 years -- he was bleeding profously with what appears to be chop wounds to the head, to the back and the hand. He was transported to the Corozal Community Hospital where upon arrival the doctor pronounced him dead. Closer investigation revealed that he had a gunshot wound to the right side of the back. We had processed the scene; it was his house at G Street South Corozal Town where we found a knife, a machete, 3 live 9mm rounds, one expended shell and one slug."

Reporter
"And Mr. Pelayo lives by himself?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold - OC, Corozal
"I am not sure; I believe he has his common law there. We are looking for the female that was coming out of Mr. Pelayo's house and the male and the female who stopped in front of Mr. Pelayo's house in that tinted white car. We don't want to frighten anyone we just need them to come in so we can ask the necessary questions."

This afternoon, we visited a few of his neighbours, and they told us that he had been shot to the back of the neck and the lower back, along with chop wounds to his forearms and face. He was frantic, trying to get help him, and he ran into a neighbour’s house. 

As you heard police say a woman was seen leaving the house when they rushed Pelayo off for medical attention. Well, the neighbours tell us that she is his 20-year-old common-law wife, with whom he has two children. One of the persons in the suspicious vehicle that police was following, was allegedly her mother. Apparently, they had come to the house to pick her up. She was seen sobbing when she left.

Residents also tell us that the two had a very abusive relationship, and that Pelayo’s common-law wife often had visible bruises. Also, as you saw in our story, the house was somewhat overturned, as if someone was rushing to get out. Police say that there were no signs of forced entry. 

As for Pelayo, he is well known to police, and as a matter of fact, he was in police custody less than 5 days ago. That was for disorderly conduct, in which he got into a fight with another man. Police often had to detain him for cases such as this. The police tell us that they received a report from a business place that he was behaving disorderly only hours before he died. They showed up to take him into custody, but he was nowhere to be found.

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