7 News Belize

Deshaies Gets Bail, Answers Questions About Murder
posted (May 12, 2017)
After 10 days in police custody, Canadian John Deshaies was finally allowed to go home today after he was released on Supreme Court bail.

Corozal police picked him up on May second for questioning about the double murder of Canadian Francesca Matus and American Drew DeVoursney. But while being investigated, Placencia police charged him with theft of equipment from the Placencia Casino. The sitting magistrate in Independence Village remanded him to the Belize Central Prison, but instead of going there, he was taken back to the Corozal police station for further interrogation into the double murder. He was also interviewed by FBI agents who flew down to assist the Belize police.

There were talks that as soon as his bail was processed, police intended to detain him once again for more questioning, but best information to his attorneys is that he was allowed to go home. But before he went home, we got an interview with Deshaies. We asked him about the theft charge, and about being treated as a suspect in the double murder that has been making global headlines for 2 weeks now. Here's what he had to say:

John Deshaies, On bail for Theft
"This was a false charge in the first place and I got bail set today and I am free now. But it will all come out in court that it was all false. It was a business related thing. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Francesca was a beautiful friend of mine. We lived together there for 2 years in the house. It was her house, she lived upstairs, I lived downstairs and she is one of the most beautiful people you'd ever meet. We've always been good friends and there is absolutely nothing that I've ever done to hurt her. I am assuming I was accused because I live in the same house, but otherwise there is nothing that ever happened between us to make anybody think that. Any of our friends would never think that."

Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"There are reports suggesting that you guys had some sort of quarrel or a fight, some sort of disagreement a few hours before she went missing."

John Deshaies, On bail for Theft
"The only person who would say something like that would be the neighbor who lives across the street and he would have done that just because we've had an ongoing issue, but there is absolutely never a harsh word between Francesca and myself. We never had a problem and everybody knows that, like all the people that we hang out with - everybody that knows me and knows her, my whole family, my kids in Canada - like she would see them in Canada, everybody knows that we never had a problem. There was never an issue."

"I had full negotiations with the FBI. I've gone over everything. They've got all the information. They've taken my DNA, they've checked my vehicles, they've check the entire house. To get me investigated, I don't mind giving some time or whatever, but I think that I have been investigated. I've given all the information. Everybody knows where I was and what I was doing. There is absolutely no reason for them to carry on with me personally. I think to move forward as them going on with this, I think it would be seriously a constitutional situation that I would have to take in hand, but I don't have any problem with being detained, I don't have any problem with them asking me questions on that. The thing is you have to get everybody as a suspect figured out where they were what they did. That has to happen. It would be an injustice for me not to do that knowing that Francesca's killers or killer whoever did this is still missing."

So, we turn now to the bail hearing itself. His attorneys, Richard "Dickie" Bradley and Kevin Arthurs, went before Justice Antoinette Moore to request bail. After hearing from the Crown Counsel Jackie Willloughby, Justice Moore decided that he should be granted bail of $20,000 with the conditions that he must sign in at Corozal Police station every Friday, and he is not to interfere with any of the complainants or witnesses. He also must not be rearrested on any other crimes while he on bail, and he must surrender his Canadian passport.

After the hearing, his attorneys told us outside of court that they believe that he will be acquitted of this charge:

Richard "Dickie" Bradley, Attorney for John Deshaies
"As you would know Mr. Deshaies' name has been all over the world. The American and Canadian media has been in constant touch with Kevin Arthurs and Steven Perrera in relation to this matter. I see he calls right now on my phone. Because some reason they have put out his name that he is a suspect in the double murder of two foreigners; one American, one Canadian. Mr. Deshaies told me that he was extensively interviewed by officers claiming to be member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from the United States, who asked and he corporate and gave a blood sample and other information. He completely corporate with the FBI officers and Kevin is of the considered view and has further information to support that, that the charged levied against Mr. John Deshaies in relation to some bogus theft in Placencia - that will completely fall apart, but that there was no need for his freedom to have been taken away."

"This morning, his Belizean common-law-wife at our request brought clothes for him because from the time he was detained in Corozal, he has not been given a shower, he is not been allowed to change his clothes, they refused to take clothes for him to change his clothes. That is no way to treat anybody. But at the end of the day, the good news is that he will not be seeing the inside of Her Majesty's Prison at least for today and hopefully the weekend."

"You know the system, they may want to go and grab him again and hold him, but there was no objection to him applying for bail on a matter of a theft, which let me say this for the records, he was merely on behalf of the owners of those things, keeping a watchful eye to see that they were secured. He didn't steal any of those items."

John Deshaies was Francesca Matus's tenant; he lives down in the downstairs flat of her house in Consejo Shores, Corozal. She lived in the upstairs flat.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize