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Three more police officers interdicted in death of Hilberto Sotz

By on June 10, 2015
Leonard Nunez

Leonard Nunez

 

Hallet King

Hallet King

Belmopan. Wednesday, June 10, 2015. Police constable #628 Leonard Nunez and Police Constable #819 are tonight on remand at the Belize Central Prison in Hattieville.

They were arraigned jointly on a single count of murder when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith this afternoon.

The two police officers are accused of the murder of 18 year old Hilberto Sotz who died while in police custody at the Caye Caulker police station on Monday evening.

The charge against the two officers came int the wake of a criminal investigation supported by the results of a post mortem examination on the body of Sotz which certified that the teenager’s cause of death was “vascular shock, pronounced massive heart thrombosis, acute post traumatic cerebral edema as a result of trauma to the head and body.”

Hilberto Sotz

Hilberto Sotz

An official statement from Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie tonight said that in addition to the criminal charges against PC Nunez and PC King, they have also been served with internal disciplinary charges.

But PC Nunez and PC King are not the only police officers in hot water over the death of Hilberto Sotz.

The statement from Commissioner Whylie says that three other officers who were on duty at the Caye Caulker police station at the time of Sotz death have been placed in immediate interdiction.

Those officers have been identified as Corporal Kirby Palma; WPC Bernadette Ramos and Police Constable Edilberto Patt.

Commissioner Whylie’s statement ends by repeating his mantra of “zero tolerance on abuse of person’s rights.”

In the aftermath of the arrest and imprisonment on remand of PC Nunez and PC King and the interdiction of three other officers, the Commissioner of Police is assigning Inspector Dehanne Augustine as the commander of the Caye Caulker police.

She will be assisted by a senior non-commissioned officer in the person of Sergeant Norman Benguche.

Commissioner Whylie says that other officers will be identified and deployed to Caye Caulker to replace the officers who were sent on interdiction “to ensure continuous policing services are provided.”

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