It has been almost four years since the deadly shooting that left well-known Belize City figure Winston Joseph James — widely called “Tanga” — dead and his then-partner seriously wounded. But what was supposed to be the high-stakes murder trial of two men accused of ties to the killing has ended in an abrupt collapse before proceedings even began, leaving one of Belize City’s high-profile violent deaths unresolved for the foreseeable future.
On Wednesday morning, Azzane Domingo and Eustace Lewis were released from custody after prosecutors from the Crown filed a nolle prosequi, a formal legal motion to discontinue the current court proceedings against the pair. Domingo had faced multiple serious charges including murder, attempted murder, and weapons-related offences, while Lewis was accused of abetment to murder in connection with the January 2022 attack.
Prosecutors explained that the decision to drop the case was driven by a complete lack of sufficient evidence to secure a conviction. The crown had previously requested additional time from the court to track down the prosecution’s star witness, Shemaud “Sabe” Nunez, but law enforcement agencies across Belize were unable to locate him after extensive searches. Compounding this critical gap in evidence, Marybeth Wade — the sole other survivor of the attack who was in the vehicle with James when gunfire broke out — has refused to cooperate with investigators or testify in open court, according to official case documents.
While surveillance cameras in the area of the shooting did capture partial footage of the incident, even after advanced forensic enhancement of the video, investigators were unable to clearly identify the gunman or place either of the two accused at the scene of the crime. Without credible eyewitness testimony that could connect Domingo and Lewis to the attack, prosecutors confirmed they had no legal standing to move forward with the trial.
It is important to note that a nolle prosequi ruling is not equivalent to a formal acquittal. Prosecutors retain the right to reopen the case and bring the same charges against the two men at a later date if new credible evidence emerges that addresses the current gaps in the prosecution’s case.
To recap the tragic events of January 2022: James was behind the wheel of his Nissan Pathfinder near the canal district of central Belize City when multiple gunmen opened fire on his vehicle. The hail of bullets caused James to lose control of the SUV, which crashed into a nearby building. James was pronounced dead at the scene, while Wade was hit by gunfire but ultimately survived the attack.
Wednesday’s unexpected development brings an abrupt end to the prosecution process, at least temporarily, and leaves the question of who killed Tanga James unanswered. Family members of the deceased and community members who have followed the case for four years will now wait to see if new information can eventually bring closure to the high-profile killing.