A high-stakes robbery trial got underway in a lower court this week, centering on Elvira Mulholland, a woman charged with robbing her estranged husband at gunpoint. After spending more than six months in pre-trial detention on more severe charges of attempted murder and robbery, Mulholland is now facing a summary trial on the reduced offense of robbery.
Lead prosecutor Maria Nembhard-Santana is arguing the case on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions, while experienced defense attorneys Lynden Jones and Leeroy Banner are representing Mulholland in court. Prosecutors lay out their core allegation: that in October 2024, Mulholland confronted Jeffery Mulholland, her estranged spouse, at Mile Twelve along the Coastal Highway, stealing $9,000 in cash and an iPhone worth an estimated $4,000 during the encounter.
Thus far, three witnesses have taken the stand to give sworn testimony, with accounts that both support the prosecution’s narrative and draw pushback from the defense. The first key testimony came from Mulholland’s son, who appeared in court Wednesday morning to confirm critical pre-incident details. He told the court that both his mother and his stepfather Jeffery left the family home in separate pickup trucks, both traveling in the direction of La Democracia. He added that his mother pulled away from the home at such high speed that her truck skidded off the driveway and reversed into a decorative flowerport before she departed.
The second notable witness was an inspector with the local Social Security Board, who told the court he stumbled across the violent, chaotic roadside scene later that same afternoon. He testified that when he arrived at the location, he found a bleeding Jeffery Mulholland kneeling beside vehicles in a roadside drain, with Elvira Mulholland standing nearby holding a firearm. The inspector told the court he watched the woman point the weapon at Jeffery, fire a single shot, take an item from the man, then drive away in the direction of Hope Creek. After the suspect left the scene, the inspector said he stepped in to assist the injured man, transporting him to the Hattieville Police Station to file a report and seek further care.
During cross-examination, defense attorneys mounted a rigorous challenge to the inspector’s account of the incident. They questioned the reliability of his observation, noting that he witnessed the event from a distance and pointing out inconsistencies in his description of the item taken from Jeffery Mulholland. Despite the sustained questioning, the inspector stood firm on his testimony, reaffirming that he had an unobstructed, clear view of the entire incident and that he definitively saw Mulholland holding a gun during the confrontation.
The trial is scheduled to resume on August 3, 2026, at which point a serving police officer is expected to take the stand as the next witness for the prosecution. The complainant in the case, Jeffery Mulholland, is currently outside the country, but he is expected to return to Belize in time to deliver his own testimony before the court.