分类： society

After more than three years of delays, legal disputes, and widespread public attention, a Belizean High Court has delivered a guilty verdict on all counts against former police corporal Elmer Nah for the 2022 New Year’s Eve triple murder of three members of the Ramnarace family in Belmopan. Nah, once a trusted law enforcement officer, was also convicted of one count of attempted murder for the wounding of a fourth victim in the attack that shocked the small Central American nation.

The tragic incident unfolded on December 31, 2022, when the Ramnarace family gathered at their Belmopan residence to ring in the new year. An armed gunman entered the home and opened fire, killing Jon Ramnarace and David Ramnarace at the scene. Vivian Ramnarace, who was also shot, initially survived the attack but succumbed to her injuries while undergoing medical treatment. The fourth victim, Yenie Alberto, survived the shooting and went on to serve as a key witness for the prosecution.

What proved to be the most compelling evidence for Justice Nigel Pilgrim, who presided over the high-profile trial, was the statement Vivian Ramnarace gave to law enforcement just 41 hours after the attack, before her death. In his two-and-a-half-hour deliberation delivered on May 29, 2026, Justice Pilgrim noted that Vivian’s account was honest, credible, and fully corroborated by the surveillance footage and forensic evidence collected by investigators. Though she did not name her attacker directly, her description and identification matched Nah’s profile perfectly.

For the victims’ family members, the guilty verdict brings a long-awaited measure of justice, but it cannot undo the irreversible harm caused by the attack. Speaking to reporters inside the packed courtroom immediately after the verdict was read, Vashti Belisle, Vivian Ramnarace’s sister, shared the family’s complex emotions.

“We’re overwhelmed, grateful, thankful. Vivian really played the most significant role in convicting the man who killed her, her husband and her brother-in-law,” Belisle told reporters. “As much as we are thankful today, we are still overwhelmed because despite this victory, we are still without Vivian. A child has to grow up the rest of their life without their ma and pa. But I’m just glad that justice was served, especially for her today, and I’m proud of my sister. She was fearless.”

Nah, who has maintained his innocence throughout the years-long legal process, did not react publicly to the verdict beyond a cold, steady stare at the Ramnarace family as he was led out of the courtroom. When asked about the interaction, Belisle noted that Nah has repeatedly stared her down during court proceedings, a gesture she interprets as directed at her sister, whom she closely resembles.

The path to this verdict was far from smooth. The case faced countless procedural delays and public scrutiny from the start, in large part because of Nah’s background as a serving police officer at the time of the killings—an individual who was once trusted to protect the public he is now convicted of harming. Nah’s defense team also went through multiple shakeups: Senior Counsel Arthur Saldivar initially led the defense, but a string of attorneys joined and departed the case amid ongoing legal disputes, with Lynden Jones ultimately taking over as lead defense counsel for the final phase of the trial.

The entire nation of Belize has followed the closely-watched case for years, drawn by the brutality of the crime and the shock of a sitting law enforcement officer being accused of the mass killing. When the guilty verdict was announced, audible sighs of relief went through the packed courtroom gallery, which was filled with victim relatives, local law enforcement, and legal observers. Family members embraced one another, with many shedding tears after the three and a half year wait for closure.

All attention now shifts to the next phase of the legal process: Nah’s sentencing is scheduled for June 19, 2026, and legal analysts note that an appeal from the defense is widely expected following the conviction.

On the morning of May 29, 2026, a brazen targeted killing in Belmopan, Belize’s capital, has shattered the city’s sense of public safety and left thousands reeling from the senseless loss of a well-respected local healer. Dr. Nuan Bonilla, a popular internal medicine specialist with 8 years of service at Belmopan Medical Imaging Center, was gunned down in a pre-planned ambush just minutes from his home in the Las Flores neighborhood, while en route to drop his 5-year-old daughter at school.

According to official details released by Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith, the attack unfolded with chilling coordination on Ramirez Avenue. After Dr. Bonilla’s vehicle was cut off by another car that pulled abruptly in front of him, a masked gunman exited the blocking vehicle and fired multiple rounds directly into the doctor’s car, killing him instantly. His young daughter remained unharmed in the backseat during the attack, which was witnessed by multiple bystanders.

Investigators have already recovered multiple surveillance footage recordings from the area and are currently pursuing two separate lines of inquiry into the attack’s motive. Smith emphasized that neither of the active leads point to Dr. Bonilla having any involvement in criminal or nefarious activity, leaving the community even more confused about why a well-loved public servant was targeted.

Colleagues remembered Dr. Bonilla as a uniquely compassionate and dedicated clinician who prioritized his patients above all else. Dr. Virginia Smith, director of Belmopan Medical Imaging Center, described the doctor as a charismatic, knowledgeable practitioner who went far beyond standard care for every person he treated. “He would spend an entire hour with each patient, walking through their medical history, letting them speak as long as they needed, going over every lab result and clinical detail before giving guidance,” Smith shared, noting that this patient-centered approach made him a favorite among local residents. Beyond his work at the imaging center, Dr. Bonilla also provided care to underserved patients in the Valley of Peace community, and held ambitions to expand his practice to serve more communities across Belize.

In the wake of the killing, Oscar Mira, Belize’s Minister of Home Affairs, has affirmed that law enforcement is deploying all available resources to crack the case. “Investigators have been working nonstop since the early morning to solve this,” Mira said. “We have camera infrastructure in place across the city, and teams are reviewing every piece of evidence to piece together what happened. I am confident we will bring those responsible to justice.” He called the killing a devastating loss not just for Belmopan, but for the entire country, noting that Dr. Bonilla dedicated his young life to saving and improving the lives of others.

Smith echoed the public’s outrage and calls for swift action, saying the killing of a young doctor who returned to Belize after years of medical training to serve his community is unacceptable. “A person spends their best young years studying to heal people, comes home to give back, and loses their life in an instant in broad daylight. This should never happen,” she said, calling on authorities to leave no stone unturned in the investigation.

Tributes have poured in across social media from former patients, community members and fellow medical workers, all mourning the death of a man who devoted his career to caring for Belizeans. As of the latest update, no arrests have been made, and the investigation remains active and ongoing. The brazen nature of the mid-morning attack, carried out in full view of witnesses just steps from a residential neighborhood and a school route, has sparked widespread anxiety among Belmopan residents, who are demanding answers and action to address violent crime in the capital.

A high-profile investigation into a shocking daytime shooting in Belize City has resulted in the first arrest, law enforcement authorities confirmed in an official update shared Friday. The incident, which unfolded on Monday, May 25, 2026, left 25-year-old Maleek Sutherland, a local working resident, clinging to life after a targeted attack while he was commuting to his job.

According to investigative details released by the Belize Police Department, the attack unfolded on Cleghorn Street, where an unmarked SUV pulled alongside Sutherland as he traveled to work. A person seated in the vehicle’s passenger seat opened fire on the unsuspecting victim, striking him multiple times before the SUV fled the scene. Bystanders alerted emergency responders immediately, and Sutherland was rushed to a local hospital for urgent care, where he remains in critical condition as of the latest update.

Within four days of the shooting, police took 21-year-old Jadon Young into custody and formally charged him with two offenses: attempted murder and use of deadly means of harm, confirmed Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith, a staff officer with the department. While one suspect is now behind bars, law enforcement officials noted that multiple attackers are believed to have participated in the coordinated attack, and a manhunt for remaining co-conspirators is still underway.

Investigators have not yet identified a clear motive for the shooting, and the case remains an active open investigation. ASP Smith noted in her statement that authorities expect additional arrests to be made as they continue to piece together details of the attack and track down other people connected to the incident.

This shooting is the latest high-violence incident reported in Belize City, a region that has grappled with persistent gun crime in recent years, though the motive and affiliations of those involved in this attack have not yet been made public.

A sweeping, coordinated national crackdown on illegal firearms and drug trafficking in Belize has yielded a major haul of contraband, including a high-powered AR-15 rifle, as law enforcement ramps up efforts to curb rising violent crime across the country.

Between May 25 and May 29, 2026, specialized police units and local law enforcement formations carried out a series of precision targeted operations across multiple districts, launching synchronized raids on key locations linked to weapons trafficking and narcotics activity. The multi-day blitz, which brought together operational resources from across the country’s law enforcement ecosystem, resulted in the seizure of 10 illegal weapons, law enforcement officials confirmed.

ASP Stacy Smith, a Staff Officer with the Belize Police Department, detailed the seizure in an official briefing following the operations. The haul includes five 9-millimeter pistols, one .22 caliber pistol, three .38 caliber revolvers, and the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle – one of the most popular high-powered civilian firearms increasingly linked to violent crimes across North and Central America. All of the weapons were recovered during targeted search operations conducted in three high-priority locations: Belize City, Corozal, and the capital city of Belmopan.

This recent seizure pushes the total number of illegal weapons and rounds of ammunition taken off Belize’s streets since the start of 2026 to 116 firearms of varying calibers and 3,724 rounds of ammunition. To date, 109 people have been arrested on charges related to illegal firearm and ammunition possession, Smith confirmed.

Officials emphasized that the week-long operation is not a one-off enforcement action, but part of a sustained national initiative designed to reduce the prevalence of gun-related crime across Belize. Police have pledged to maintain increased visibility and aggressive enforcement nationwide, saying they will not retreat in the ongoing battle against the cross-border flow of illegal weapons and drug trafficking that has driven upward pressure on crime in recent years. The operation marks one of the largest single hauls of illegal weapons in recent months, and signals the police department’s growing commitment to disrupting criminal networks operating across the country.

A targeted anti-drug sweep in Belize City has resulted in the seizure of more than 150 grams of suspected cocaine and criminal charges against two local residents, law enforcement officials confirmed this week. The operation is part of a broader national crackdown on illicit narcotics and unregistered firearms that has mobilized specialized police units and regional law enforcement formations across Belize.

Following a search of a residential property on Vasquez Avenue in the Kings Park neighborhood of Belize City, officers uncovered 154 grams of cocaine, according to Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith, a staff officer with the Belize Police Department. The two occupants of the home, Corey Ottley and Theresa Ottley, were taken into police custody immediately after the discovery. Both suspects now face formal charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to supply, a charge linked to drug trafficking rather than personal use.

In addition to the drug-related arrests, police also took several other people into custody during the same operation on illegal firearms charges, Smith confirmed. The nationwide enforcement initiative, which launched earlier this week, was designed to disrupt transnational drug trafficking networks and reduce the flow of illegal weapons across the country, addressing two of the most pressing public safety challenges facing Belize.

This report is adapted from a televised evening news broadcast originally published online, with transcription completed per the outlet’s editorial standards.

Residents of Belize have been facing growing sticker shock as monthly electricity bills climb higher in recent months, prompting widespread speculation about hidden rate hikes or manipulative practices from the national power provider. In a public address addressing these concerns, Prime Minister John Briceño has stepped forward to clear up confusion, laying the blame for the spike squarely on shifting weather patterns and increased energy use from households across the country. Briceño explained that unseasonably hot temperatures have forced Belizeans to run cooling appliances far longer than they typically would, adding significant extra draw to the national power grid. From non-stop operation of ceiling fans to more frequent openings of household refrigerators to keep food chilled, and extended run times for air conditioning units in homes that have them, every extra minute of use adds to the final monthly bill. The prime minister also acknowledged that a small, pre-approved base rate increase has contributed marginally to the higher totals, but emphasized that the vast majority of the growth in bills comes from elevated consumption, not underhanded changes by the power provider. To illustrate his point, Briceño drew a parallel to a recent upgrade project completed by the Belize Water Services Limited (BWSL) that improved water pressure across urban areas of the country. Before the infrastructure upgrade, many city residents struggled with low water pressure that limited how much water they could access at any given time. Once the new pumping systems were installed and pressure rose, households naturally began using more water for daily needs, which led to an immediate jump in monthly water bills that mirrored the current rise in electricity costs. “There is no nefarious plan that BEL somehow with a magic wand managed to increase all the meters to go up to charge more, it is simply because it is hotter and people have to use more electricity,” Briceño stated in his remarks. Summing up his message to the public, the prime minister emphasized that higher bills are a reflection of higher consumer demand driven by weather conditions, not deceptive practices by Belize Electricity Limited. This report is a transcribed excerpt from an evening television news broadcast published online.

On May 29, 2026, Lord’s Bank Village, Belize ushered in a landmark shift in local public safety as community leaders, residents, and senior government officials gathered to inaugurate the village’s first dedicated police substation – a facility years in the making that was developed in direct response to growing public anxiety over surging local crime rates.

The new facility is part of a broader national initiative led by the Ministry of Home Affairs to decentralize police services and bring law enforcement support closer to residential communities across the country. According to Home Affairs Minister Oscar Mira, the government plans to roll out a network of similar substations in under-served areas nationwide, built on the core principle that effective public safety requires collaborative partnership between police forces and the communities they serve. “We cannot tackle crime alone,” Mira emphasized during the opening ceremony. “Our goal is to make police services more accessible to every neighborhood, and that starts by meeting communities where they are.”

Six full-time officers and one supervisor will be assigned to the Lord’s Bank substation, operating on a 24/7 rotation to ensure continuous law enforcement presence throughout the village. In a boost to local patrol capacity, regional firm F.T. Williams and Associates has also donated a motorcycle to the substation, enabling officers to conduct more flexible and responsive patrols across the area. Mira praised the private sector donation as a perfect example of the cross-sector collaboration the initiative aims to foster, noting that the motorcycle will solve critical mobility gaps for officers responding to local incidents.

Local representative for Belize Rural Central Dolores Balderamos-Garcia echoed the widespread community relief over the substation’s opening, pointing to a recent string of unsettling criminal incidents that had left residents feeling vulnerable. “We’ve seen a steady uptick in crime across both Ladyville and Lord’s Bank in recent months,” Balderamos-Garcia explained. “Just recently, there was an attempted rape, multiple residential burglaries, and ongoing issues with unaddressed traffic accidents. Residents have been calling for greater protection for a long time, and this substation is a tangible response to those calls.” She added that the appointment of Corporal Andrews, a young native of Lord’s Bank, to lead the local officer team has generated extra optimism among residents, who see a local leader as more connected to the community’s unique needs.

This report is adapted from a transcript of an evening television news broadcast from Belize.

Scheduled for publication on May 29, 2026, this feature story from Belize’s *Looking on the Bright Side* profiling a trailblazing campus that is redefining what 21st century education can look like when communities come together. As part of the Ministry of Education’s national MoRE Campaign – an initiative that challenges schools across the country to “be more, do more” by expanding learning beyond four classroom walls and prioritizing growth in technology access, student wellness, and community collaboration – Chapel School in the Orange Walk District has emerged as a gold standard for the movement.

When a News 5 reporting team led by correspondent Sabreena Daly arrived on campus to profile the school’s work, they were greeted with a vibrant celebration: a student drumline performed at the main gate, under a decorative balloon arch, followed by a traditional student dance performance that set the tone for the story of community transformation unfolding inside the school’s halls. Serving 230 students across all primary grade levels, Chapel School’s standout approach to the MoRE Campaign’s goals centers on a single core mission: closing the long-standing divide between school and home to build a shared investment in student success.

For parent and Parent-Teacher Association president Gustavo Castaneda, the impact of this approach is visible in his own son Emilio, a Standard 1 student. “Emilio likes the school because everybody is friendly, and, um, everybody gets involved in his education,” Castaneda explained, noting that the warm, inclusive environment has helped his son grow into a more confident learner.

That intentional culture of inclusion and partnership did not develop by accident, according to Chapel School principal Heidi Tejeda. Tejeda frames the school’s work as a deliberate effort to “bridge the gap” between the school and the surrounding community, repositioning the small Christian campus as a welcoming space for all stakeholders: parents, students, teachers, and local residents alike. “I want the people and the community, to see our Christian school as embracing everyone, embracing the parents, the students, and the teachers, and that we work as a team,” Tejeda said.

The school’s approach challenges the long-held traditional mindset that education is solely the responsibility of campus faculty and staff. Instead, Chapel School actively integrates parents into every layer of student learning, operating on the principle that responsibility for a child’s growth is shared equally between teachers, families, and learners themselves. “It is very important for us to include our parents because the responsibility is shared among the teacher, the parent, and the student. And the more the parents they come, the more engaged the students are,” Tejeda added.

This focus on inclusion and shared responsibility has delivered measurable, tangible results: the school has recorded clear increases in both student attendance and academic motivation since rolling out its community-centered model. Beyond parent engagement, Chapel School has also reimagined in-class learning by moving lessons beyond traditional classroom spaces when it supports student growth. A unit on composting, for example, turned into a hands-on school-wide project to build a campus botanical garden. The school offers every student access to coding classes in a fully outfitted computer lab, alongside robust sports and creative arts programs that welcome all participants – including students with disabilities, who are fully integrated into every campus activity. The school has fully adopted competency-based learning frameworks that prioritize individual student growth over one-size-fits-all testing, aligning perfectly with the MoRE Campaign’s vision for education innovation.

Hector Morales, the Principal Education Officer for the Orange Walk District, highlighted that Chapel School’s work is exactly the kind of transformative practice district officials hope to spread to every campus across the region. “And that’s what we want to do. We want to highlight the kind of activities, kind of work that Chapel is doing, and we want all the schools to do the same, regardless if they are recognized or not,” Morales said.

Launched to reshape Belize’s national education landscape, the MoRE Campaign has found a standout leader in Chapel School – a campus that has not only met the campaign’s challenge but has set a benchmark for other institutions to follow. What makes the school’s transformation unique, however, is that it has nothing to do with extravagant new infrastructure or high-priced administrative overhauls. The real change has happened in the attitudes of parents and community members, who have shifted from viewing education as a service to delegate to the school to a shared responsibility they all own.

Castaneda summed up that cultural shift, noting: “Traditionally parents would say, ‘Well, I will hand the school our education, the education of my child,’ which is not so. Education comes from the school as well as from the parent, from us parents, and from the community itself.”

That collaborative synergy, that shared commitment to “paddling in the same boat,” does more than just give students a place to learn each day. It builds a strong foundation for long-term life success. When a whole community commits to being more inclusive, more engaged, and more invested, it gives children the power to achieve more than they ever could alone. Reporting for *Looking on the Bright Side*, I’m Sabreena Daly.