A quiet rural community in San Jose Village, Toledo District, is grappling with an unthinkable act of domestic violence that has left one man dead and a family torn apart, in a tragic incident that unfolded Wednesday afternoon. Fifty-two-year-old Eusebio Tzub, a well-regarded community member and devoted father, was killed in an attack at his own home by his son, 22-year-old Leonardo Tzub, who now faces formal murder charges, law enforcement officials confirmed.
According to Assistant Commissioner Hilberto Romero, head of the National Crime Investigation Branch, the attack occurred when Leonardo approached his father in the family’s yard, where he inflicted multiple severe chop wounds with a machete. Eusebio was rushed quickly to the Punta Gorda Hospital for emergency care, but he ultimately succumbed to his life-threatening injuries shortly after arrival. Within hours of the incident, law enforcement officers took Leonardo into custody and formally charged him with the killing.
Romero told reporters that the accused had a long documented pattern of erratic, threatening behavior toward his family members, with prior police reports filed by the family and a previous arrest on charges of harming a relative. When questioned about unconfirmed reports that Leonardo has long struggled with untreated mental health challenges, Romero confirmed that investigators are actively following up on those claims, and are working to obtain medical records to confirm whether he has ever received formal mental health treatment. Under Belizean legal procedure, the Director of Public Prosecutions will ultimately determine how mental health considerations will impact the progression of the case, but police have moved forward with the murder charge as the investigation continues.
For the Tzub family, the tragedy has been compounded by the dual blows of losing a beloved patriarch and the knowledge that the person accused in his death is one of their own. In an account of the incident shared by Luis Choc, Eusebio’s son-in-law, the day began as an ordinary one for the family. Eusebio had spent the morning helping a relative clean a yard, then bathed in the nearby river with his wife before returning home to rest while his wife prepared a meal. It was during this moment of quiet relaxation that Leonardo launched the unexpected, fatal attack, striking Eusebio in the head and hands before fleeing the scene.
Choc remembered his father-in-law as a humble, respectful man who only drank occasionally during his free time, and said he had not been drinking on the day of the attack. Family members confirmed that Leonardo had been formally diagnosed with mental health challenges roughly six years prior, when he received a hospital evaluation, but his condition has never been properly managed to prevent violent outbursts. The tragedy has also worsened hardship for the family: Eusebio’s widow, who lives with diabetes, is now facing both the loss of her husband and extreme emotional distress. Still, Choc said the entire extended family has rallied together to support one another as they navigate their grief.
The family is calling for full justice in the case, Choc added, saying they cannot risk another preventable tragedy if Leonardo were to be released before receiving appropriate care. This report is adapted from a televised evening newscast, with verbatim accounts from family and law enforcement preserved from the original broadcast.