Last night, in the Lake Independence area, a men went on a violent
rampage – wildly assaulting 4 people. Police said it was love that made
him do it but when we visited the scene today – those who survived the
assault said it seemed more like madness. Jacqueline Godwin has more.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
The blood stains on this wooden chair, bedroom door and curtain also a broken
glass louver indicate you just how vicious the attack was on the smith family.
Dorla Reneau, Victim of Assault
“Well he say that how he will come back as he come out because we
done let them lock him down and when he comes out he noh care, he will shoot
up everybody. The first one who he said he will shot up is my mom and my stepfather;
he will tend to them first.”
Belize City police have described the attacker as a distraught lover who went
berserk on his neighbours after he could not find his girlfriend. The Smith
family claims that the woman was not at their home so they do not know why the
man attacked them.
Dorla Reneau,
“This person just run up in the house and asked for his girl and we
told him his girl wasn’t here and he checked in the bathroom, in the room,
and said that we had her in here hiding. And then afterwards he was like if
we don’t want to give him his girl, and he started to breaking up everything
in the house and then he grabbed my stepfather, choked him, and whapped him
with the pot cover.”
Marilyn Smith, Stabbing Victim
“And he started to beat him for nothing and I was trying to stop him.
Every time I tried to stop him, he punched me or pushed me down.”
Marilyn says she was then stabbed in the palm of her right hand. While the
wound is small she is still in pain.
Marilyn Smith,
“In my hand here he stabbed me. I didn’t see it until this morning
because I didn’t see what he had in his hands. He asked me if I wanted
him to kill me and I told him to go home because we hadn’t done him anything.”
The Smith family says they suspect Jason Whylie was under the influence when
they were attacked.
Marilyn Smith,
“We find the wine, they have some people who make wine and they make
the wine and valium in there for it to get strong quicker and he likes to drink
that. So I found the wine and I gave it to the police last night. I found it
last night.”
Dorla Reneau,
“He punched me in my face over here but it didn’t really swell
to that extent and then after that took my baby and boom my baby in the chair
like my baby is a piece of floor cloth.”
Dorla Reneau says the assault ended when Jason Whylie spotted his girlfriend
walking on the street and then he started beating the woman.
Dorla Reneau,
“He grabbed her in her throat and whapped against this trailer right
here. When he was finished, he picked up back again and boomed her down.”
Belize City Police arrived on the scene and arrested Whylie. He has been charged
with grievous harm and wounding.
Dorla Reneau,
“We’re shocked because he approached us like we did him something
and we were talking good over there and all of a sudden he just came up in our
house like we did him something and we didn’t do him anything.
Put him up for long because, I don’t know if they deal with drugs
and thing, but he said as he comes out he will talk to those young men, and
he will just make them shot up everybody and then he will kidnap us.”
On Tuesday Jason Whylie is expected to be escorted over to Magistrate’s
Court.
Reports to 7NEWS indicate that Jason Whylie was recently released from
the Hattieville Prison following a similar incident.
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