On Friday we told you about the crime story that read like a movie script - where three men escaped their captors and would be killers by pulling off some antics that would make even a stuntman wince.
Well, today, two of the alleged culprits, 45 year old Elio Lopez and 23 year old Jason Espinoza were taken before the Corozal Magistrate's Court where each was charged with 3 counts of kidnapping and 3 counts of robbery. Elio Lopez is on the left, while Jason Espinoza is on the right. In Court this morning, Lopez and Hall were read the charges in detail and did not have to give a plea as the matter is indictable.
No bail was given either and the men were remanded to prison until August 8th.
The names of Jeffery Gongora and Brian Espinoza are also on the charge sheet, but they have not yet been captured
Lopez and Espinosa were detained last week Thursday; Lopez in a hotel room in Orange Walk Town, and Espinoza at his residence in Corozal Town. Corozal businessmen Eder Hall, his brother Eliazar Hall and their friend Emir Rosado said they had travelled to Ranchito Village to buy a vehicle but instead they were ambushed, carjacked and kidnapped.
Eder Hall told us how he used a razor blade in his wallet to get free form his captors in a moving care:
Eder Hall - Victim of Aggravated Assault
"So, that moment I was trying to remove, because I my hands were tied backwards so my hand could easily take out my wallet. So, that was what I did, I took out my wallet and I took out the Gillette that was in my wallet. I also cut off the strings that they tied me in. They tied me with a cable and shoe lace or something like that so it was easy to cut off. So, before arriving in Calcutta by public works there, the trunk open. They were also trying to escape and they had loosen themselves and since it was is vehicle, he knew that trunk can be opened from inside. So, that's what they did. They manage to open the trunk while they were driving on the highway so that's when one of the driver said the trunk is open and that's when I said "I'm not going to stay here, if I'm going to die I'm going to die trying." I'm not going to stay like a coward just let them kill me."
"So, I already had the Gillette in my hand, my hands are loose, so I used one hand to remove the bag that they have on my head and I tried to fight with the guy and take away the gun. I managed to take away the gun, when I took away the gun, I told him, what are you going to do now? I pulled the trigger but it didn't go off. So, when that happened the other guy was coming inside also because he didn't know I had the gun. When the other guy came to close the trunk, he came to my side but when he saw me pointing the gun at him, when I pointed the gun he started to run and when I pulled the trigger it didn't go off. So, actually they were also lucky that the gun didn't work, because I had decided to kill both of them right there on the spot. It was my life or it was theirs."
Hall's Nissan Infiniti was found in Libertad, while the Nissan Xterra SUV which was supposed to be on sale sped past a Police checkpoint and eventually was left abandoned in Shipyard.
Police recovered a number of stolen items including half of the thirteen thousand dollars in cash.
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