In the past four days, five people were killed in the two cities across Belize. Three of those people were stabbed and two were shot. We begin tonight with one of the fatal stabbings that took place on Campos Avenue which has left the victim's family distraught.

24-year-old Edward Westby was a loving father, husband, and son. But in curfew hours on Saturday morning, he was fatally stabbed in the chest.

His sudden and unexpected death has cast his family into a spiral of despair - he was the provider for a 2-year-old son, his young wife and her ailing mother.

Courtney Menzies spoke with his mother-in-law and an eyewitness today and has this story.

A game of dominoes turned deadly for a 24-year-old father of one this weekend. At 3am on Saturday, Edward Westby, his common-law wife, a neighbor, and another man were playing dominoes in front of Westby's apartment when a fight broke out. According to an eyewitness, his common-law wife and the suspect were arguing and the neighbor took the suspect to his home, which was a stone's throw away.

But the suspect came back over to the apartment building, reportedly shouting and threatening them. Again, the neighbor took him back home. And when the suspect returned a third time, he was armed with a knife. The eyewitness said he stood at the entrance of the compound, and when Westby approached him, he stabbed the victim in the chest.

Westby ran out of the compound and fell in front of his vehicle. His common-law wife could only scream as she held his head on her lap, watching his life ebb away. But today, she went to work because she now has to provide for her entire family, including her mother, all by herself. Her mother told us that this is a great loss:

Senida Lanza - Mother-in-law
"He took care of his little brother, myself, my son, this is my baby, my son but it's [like] his baby. His wife, his 2-year-old son. At this point of life, I don't know what happened, I can't tell you what happened that night (sigh). It's very hard, it's hard because he's not here again."

Courtney Menzies
"And he didn't deserve a death like that."

Senida Lanza
"Never, he didn't deserve that. He was a good man, he was a caring husband, a caring dad, a caring son because he care for me. Me, not even being his own mother, but he cared for me."

But it gets harder, not only for Lanza's 22-year-old daughter who is now suddenly a single mother, but for two children who now have to grow up without a father figure in their lives.

Senida Lanza
"I'm the one to be strong for my daughter, I have to hold on. She's trying to pick up herself, trying to be strong but it hurts so much. Never in my life, 8 years I know my son-in-law and my daughter, they're never apart, they're never separated, nothing, nothing, nothing. Everything was good between the two of them. They were a loving parent to their kid. He was a loving dad to my own son, my baby call him daddy. And how you explain that to two different kids that every time a motorcycle pass, they just peep through the window and holler daddy, they dih wait for daddy. And how I explain that daddy noh dih come back."

And while Lanza couldn't say what exactly happened since she was inside the house, she told us that even with a physical ailment, she found the strength to run to the police station.

Senida Lanza
"I can't tell you how I manage to reach because I could barely walk, I have this problem that sometimes I tremble, I have to hold on something, that's why I'm leaning here because if I stand up, I know my body will start to tremble. So I don't know, God give me the strength so I could reach police station to tell them what was going on. Apart from that I can't say anything because I don't know anything. I only see the stabbing wound on my son's chest. That's all."

The suspect, 35-year-old Shane Bradley had to be physically restrained by the police officers who responded. He is now on remand.

The accused, 35-year-old Shane Bradley, was arraigned in court today and has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. He was represented by attorney Arthur Saldivar who said that his client has been diagnosed with PTSD prior to his detention. Saldivar also asked the judge to allow his client to see a doctor since he showed up with several wounds, including injuries to his lips, eye, and nose. Saldivar confirmed to the court that the injuries were from the altercation.

No plea was taken from Bradley and Chief Magistrate Sharon Fraser ordered that an evaluation be done on him and that he be taken to the hospital before being taken to prison. He was remanded until October 5th.