In Belize City, a local attorney has spoken out about her deep dissatisfaction with the criminal justice process after a trusted handyman she hired was sentenced for burglarizing her family home while the entire family was on vacation. Audrey Matura, a prominent local attorney, hired Prince Copious to carry out routine maintenance work on her residential property, granting him access to the space and full knowledge of the property’s layout.
What made the 2025 Easter break burglary even more violating was the breach of that trust: while Matura and her family traveled out of the area for the holiday, Copious entered the home uninvited and stole a range of belongings, including Matura’s legally licensed firearm, personal jewelry, and school supplies belonging to the family. Beyond the material losses, Matura emphasizes that the crime stole something irreplaceable: her household’s long-held sense of safety and security within their own home. Even replaceable items pale in comparison to the permanent trauma of having a trusted worker violate the privacy of one’s personal space.
Following a months-long court process, Copious ultimately entered a guilty plea to the burglary charges, and was sentenced by the court to 10 months of prison time. But the outcome has left Matura feeling disenfranchised as a victim. Matura had repeatedly requested the prosecuting attorney notify her in advance of the sentencing hearing, as she wanted to attend in person to deliver a victim impact statement and speak to the court about the far-reaching harm Copious’s actions caused. Despite multiple text messages and phone calls confirming her request, Matura was never notified of the hearing schedule, and only learned of the sentencing after it had already concluded.
In her public comments on the case, Matura highlighted multiple lingering concerns over the process. Because she was not allowed to exercise her right to attend as the complainant, she has no way of knowing what factors the court considered when issuing the sentence, whether Copious presented any mitigation arguments to reduce his penalty, or if he even offered an apology for his actions. Adding further frustration, Matura noted that Copious was already out on bail for an unrelated second burglary charge when he committed the break-in at her home – a breach of bail conditions that she argues should have been classified as an aggravating factor to increase his sentence, but she cannot confirm if the court ever considered this detail.
To date, Matura’s stolen licensed firearm has not been recovered. She has issued a public call for information, offering a $2,000 reward for any tip that leads to the safe return of the weapon. Matura’s experience highlights the gap in support for crime victims in Belize’s justice system, where victims’ requests to participate in sentencing proceedings are often overlooked despite their legal right to be heard.