A convicted murderer’s potential return to semi-professional basketball has reignited painful memories for a Belizean family still grappling with loss after twelve years. Vince “Vinnie” Garbutt, who served eleven years of a twenty-two-year sentence for the 2014 manslaughter of 24-year-old Kayla Burgess, was paroled in 2025 and is now attempting to join the San Pedro Tiger Sharks in the National Elite Basketball League.
The case has resurfaced complex questions about justice, rehabilitation, and victims’ rights in Belize’s criminal justice system. Kayla Burgess was found dead in her vehicle in Bullet Tree Falls, a brutal crime that shocked the nation. Garbutt, then a 21-year-old Galen University student and promising basketball talent, was arrested after police discovered evidence during a search of his residence.
While incarcerated, Garbutt maintained his connection to basketball through the Kolbe Foundation’s prison team. His potential return to competitive sports represents a chance at rehabilitation, but for Kayla’s family, it represents an ongoing nightmare. Her brother Caral Burgess describes the continuous pain of seeing Garbutt free while their family remains incomplete.
The Burgess family acknowledges the theoretical purpose of parole systems but questions whether eleven years constitutes adequate punishment for taking a life. They express particular concern about public safety and whether true rehabilitation can occur in such a relatively short timeframe. Their emotional struggle is compounded by the Christian forgiveness advocated by Kayla’s mother, who has chosen to “leave it in the hands of God” for her own healing.
The San Pedro Tiger Sharks organization has declined comment on whether they will accept Garbutt onto their roster, leaving the community to grapple with the ethical implications of a convicted killer’s return to public life through sports.