19-Year-Old Charged With Murder

Police have charged nineteen-year-old Leon Emmanuel St. Clair, an unemployed Belize City resident, with the murder of Kareem Garcia.

Garcia, twenty-three, was shot and killed while working with coworkers at a road construction site in Cotton Tree Village in August.

Police say two men on a motorcycle approached and opened fire before fleeing.

Back then ASP Stacy Smith told reporters, “Garcia was along with coworkers in Cotton Tree Village when he was approached by two male persons on a motorcycle, and one of those male persons produced a firearm and fired several shots at Mr. Garcia, fatally injuring him. Mr. Garcia was doing construction work as a part of the MIDH construction going on in that area.”

Smith confirmed Garcia was known to police and had a pending court matter.

Investigators are also examining a possible link to the weekend’s double murder in Santa Elena, though Smith said it’s too early to confirm any connection. “It is a very young investigation. We have not been able to establish a nexus between these incidents. However, we are cognizant of the factors at play in that area in relation to the sale of drugs. That is the angle being pursued. However, we have no conclusive position so far.”