A trio, composed of Steven Manzanero, Armando Coleman and Reginald Patt from Santa Familia Village are now in their holding cells at the Hattieville Central Prison after being processed by the Belmopan Magistracy on Monday, following their unprovoked attack on a young couple in that closely knit village on Friday night. The three have been charged with murder, with Steven Manzanero additionally charged for the attempted murder of Eliseo Bacab, who from his bed at home he has provided crucial evidence on the murder of his girlfriend Amy Guerra.
A postmortem on the body of Guerra, whose body was found in the Belize River at about 2:00 pm on Saturday, has revealed that the teenager’s death was due to asphyxiation by drowning due to head and neck trauma.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Daniel Itche, has now confirmed that sixteen year old Amy Guerra was with her friend Eliseo Bacab at the football field in Santa Familia when three prowling males approached them. One of the males attacked Eliseo Bacab, inflicting stab wounds to his body. Police say Guerra ran towards the riverside that is nearby and behind the football field. Guerra was followed, she was attacked and her body was later retrieved from the river. Two large cut wounds were observed on the right side of her neck.
Eliseo Bacab has detailed to reporters that he had met with Amy Guerra at about 9:00 am at the cemetery in Santa Familia in an attempt to patch their relationship. However; their session was interrupted by three men, who were drinking. The couple then proceeded to the football field where they attempted to escape from their pursuers. One of the attackers, Steven Manzanero then grabbed Bacab by his neck and made slices at him with a knife in an attempt to cut his neck. Bacab related that he was then strangled and he blacked out only to wake up in the Belize River; where he then struggled to get some oxygen. On his way to a nearby house Bacab would fall several times as he had lost much blood. All this time, Bacab was at a loss on the whereabouts of his girlfriend Amy Guerra, who had also been viciously attacked and thrown into the Belize River.
So horrible has this crime been to a young couple in Cayo that dozens of villagers from Santa Familia Village braved the rains on both Monday and Tuesday at the Columbus Park in San Ignacio seeking to witness that justice was being meted on the trio. All three men are expected to be arraigned at the San Ignacio Magistrate Court on August 21st and villagers have vowed to come out in their numbers.
Amy Guerra had dreams of studying at the Center of Employment Training in San Ignacio and had always wanted to be a chef. While she is gone forever, others have now been left to grapple with the difficult question on the levels of cruelty that other humans can level at each other.
