July 10, 2025 - Greater Belize Media

Man Crushed While Working on Work Truck in Belize City

A tragic accident in Belize City has left a family grieving and a community in shock. This afternoon, what started as routine truck maintenance turned deadly for forty-one-year-old Nuridim Mariano. He was working on his vehicle outside a mechanic shop in the Jimmy Dyer area when a freak accident claimed his life. According to reports, Mariano was standing in front of his truck, parked just behind another, when he asked someone to start the engine. But the truck was in gear, and it lurched forward, pinning him between the two vehicles. Despite quick efforts to reverse and free him, it was too late. Mariano died on the scene. His family rushed to the area moments after the incident. News Five spoke with his aunt, Wilma Thompson-Wiley, who shared heartfelt memories of her nephew.

Voice of: Wilma Thompson-Wiley, Aunt of Deceased

“Mein he was an all arounder. Master of none, but he got everything going. Everyrting he put his hands on. He was crack of all trade, master of none. Very friendly, when you see him you see his teeth and he use to run jokes. He give you life when you sad. He bring so much life and he is all about his family and friends. He was a good person, a respectable. He was about mommy and yes mam and he loved his family. We pack up, me and my daughter we rush out and I came out on my cycle. Just like bad luck my cycle chain just came off. So my granddaughter brought us in the car. We cant miss this moment for nothing. Nuh somebody like riddim. He was mannerly, cheerful, respectful, no matter what, he always look after the needy, if you nuh have and he have, he wah share.”

Driver Charged After Crash Kills Father, Son on Highway

A tragic accident on the Philip Goldson Highway has led to serious charges for a Double Head Cabbage resident. Tonight, thirty-nine-year-old Melvin Ashburn Harris is out on bail after being arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court for a deadly collision that claimed the lives of a father and son from Biscayne Village. The crash happened Tuesday evening between Miles twenty-eight and twenty-nine. Police say Harris was behind the wheel of a white Hino truck when he swerved to avoid potholes, only to collide with a motorcycle carrying Josue and Felipe Solis. Both men suffered severe injuries and were later pronounced dead at the hospital. Harris is now facing five traffic-related charges, including two counts of manslaughter by negligence. He appeared in court this morning with his attorneys and was granted bail under strict conditions, including staying away from the victims’ family.

Housekeeper Charged After Alleged Jewelry Heist on First Day

On Wednesday, we shared the story of Florina Arzu, proprietor of Flo’s Pristine Service, a cleaning company she started a few years ago. Arzu explained to News Five that an employee of hers was wanted for the theft of jewelry and cash from one of her clients. Tonight, twenty-six-year-old Samara Moody, a housekeeper from Ladyville, is facing serious charges after allegedly stealing thousands of dollars in jewelry and cash from her employer during her first day on the job. She appeared in Belize City Magistrate’s Court today and was charged with burglary with intent to steal. She pleaded not guilty and was granted bail of two thousand dollars under strict conditions, including staying at least one hundred yards away from the complainant, Abigail Moguel, and checking in weekly at the Ladyville Police Station. The alleged incident took place on June twentieth, 2025, at Moguel’s Buttonwood Bay home. According to police, Moody was hired to clean the house but was instructed not to enter the master walk-in closet. Later that day, Moguel discovered the closet had been cleaned and several high-value items were missing, including gold jewelry, designer watches, and seven hundred dollars in cash. Police say there was no sign of forced entry, and surveillance footage showed only Moody, and the homeowners were present. A wanted poster was issued, and Moody later turned herself in to Ladyville Police on July eight. During a recorded interview, police say she admitted to taking the items. Moody is due back in court on September fourth, 2025.

Defense Attorneys Warn of Power Overreach

A proposed change to the Constitution is stirring up serious debate and it’s all about how far the government should go to fight crime. The Thirteenth Amendment Bill would give the state sweeping new powers to declare ‘special areas’, zones where police could search, seize, and arrest without a warrant, all in the name of public safety. It also proposes a new Gun and Gang Court and aims to retroactively validate past states of emergency, including those already challenged in court. Supporters, including Commissioner of Police Doctor Richard Rosado, say it’s a bold step to tackle rising crime. But not everyone’s on board, especially the Belize Association of Defense Attorneys, who say this goes way too far. In a strongly worded letter to the National Assembly, they warn that the bill could erode civil liberties, weaken democracy, and give too much unchecked power to the government.

Audrey Matura, Attorney-at-law

“Well we object to it for several reasons, definitely the legal reasons. But I also object to it for the humanitarian and social reasons. As that bill is, it gives too much power to whoever is in government and it’s extending the police’s power and in addition, it is saying that they can create auxiliary forces. Auxiliary forces may be people not properly trained to deal with civilians in times of crisis, or, it can be ex-military people who are trained to kill, which is a different kind of training that they get. So I don’t think it is well thought out. Even more violating is the fact that it is being made retroactive. So what has happened, in case people weren’t following up, there were some Belizeans who took the government to court because of the previous SOE’s. The states of emergency that were locking down people for three months, without any trial, without any access to attorneys, without any due process. So imagine, there were men who were locked up every three months, every three months and some people went up to twelve months being locked up every minute. They went to court and won the case.”

Defense Attorneys Warn of Legal Crisis Over Emergency Powers

The Association of Defense Attorneys is also raising objections to a clause that would retroactively validate past states of emergency, even those already challenged in court. According to the association, this move could undermine the rule of law and set a troubling precedent. And then there’s the proposed Gun and Gang Court. While the idea of a specialized court sounds promising, the attorneys say it lacks clear safeguards to ensure fairness and independence.

Audrey Matura, Attorney-at-law

“Now, the danger with that is that once you entrench it in the constitution, what you are trying to do is take away rights that you already have, civil rights that people have and taking it away in a different way. So you are saying that the very constitution I would have been able to go to enforce my right is now making it unlawful for me to enforce that right. That’s one of the dangers of it. The second danger is that, well, this government is a super government because they need two-thirds majority to be able to do that and they do have that. The third thing is that we have a non-existent opposition fighting with themselves, and so they can’t even come forward and say let us fight for the people. We have already gone through a similar situation like this, but I would say this one is worse. What is happening [is that] individuals in this country have taken the Johnny Briceño administration to court for things that were done by the Dean Barrow administration because the SOEs started with the Dean Barrow administration. And so, what they did, they are now saying, “You all took us to court for something illegal we did, well we will now make it legal, but we will not pass a law like Dean Barrow did, we will go and tamper with the constitution. And the reason they are able to do that is because they have the majority, the super majority. So that’s the hypocrisy in it. And why I say it is worse is because Dean Barrow only tried to pass a law. What Johnny Briceno is doing is trying to change the constitution.”

Prime Minister Breaks Silence on Thirteenth Amendment

Late this evening, News Five caught up with Prime Minister John Briceño at an event right here in Belize City. With the controversial Thirteenth Amendment Bill stirring debate across the country, we asked the PM to weigh in. His response? Direct and telling. Here’s what he had to say.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I could understand the concern from everybody else. If these other legal scholars can show us how it can be done differently, we’re prepared to take a look. But the problem is that we have a serious problem with crime and it’s something that requires the attention and the cooperation and the work of everybody, not only the police, as the government, but also the public. And as much as we’ve been doing everything we can to try to stop these killings, these mostly young men, they don’t seem to get it. And what’s even worse, is that when they would go in a public space and just spray bullets and then innocent people get hurt. So we have to do everything possible to stop them.”

BTL Buyout Buzz: PM Pressed on Speednet Rumors

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about a potential shake-up in Belize’s telecom and cable landscape. Word on the street is that BTL may be eyeing a buyout of Speednet Communications and possibly several local cable companies too. But so far, no official confirmation. On Wednesday, businessman Michael Ashcroft added fuel to the fire during an appearance on Open Your Eyes, briefly touching on the rumored deal. Speednet, as many know, is majority-owned by Waterloo, and this evening, Prime Minister John Briceño, whose relatives are shareholders in Speednet, was asked directly about the speculation.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I don’t know, you’ll have to talk to the people at BTL and the people at Smart.”

Reporter

“You are the super majority of the… you appoint majority of the board and your family owns Smart. If this sale were to go through, wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest?”

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I wish it would be my family that owns Smart, but those things are discussed at the management level and then it goes to the board. I can assure you that if something were to happen, it has to be in the interest of BTL and in the interest of the Belizean people.”

80 More Megawatts of Energy Coming to Belize?

A major step toward energy independence was taken today as Belize Electricity Limited and Blair Athol Power Company signed a historic solar power agreement. The deal will bring an additional fifteen megawatts of locally sourced solar energy into the national grid, a first of its kind at this scale for Belize. But that’s just the beginning. Prime Minister John Briceño says the government is already looking ahead, with plans to secure 80 more megawatts of energy. It’s all part of a bigger push to reduce Belize’s reliance on imported electricity from Mexico.

Prime Minister Jonh Briceño

“I think maybe a month or two the PUC put out asking for proposals and a number of companies applied. I don’t know who are there, but I know a number of them. They’re being reviewed. And then after that, they’re going to compile it to the smaller group because we want to make sure that these companies would be able to, the plan is that once we sign the contract, that they will be able to deliver within one year of energy problem, another eighty megawatts into the grid. As I mentioned earlier it’s. What has happened to us last year is sure how vulnerable we are to another country, to Mexico. Mexico are good neighbors, they’re our brothers, and they’ve done very well for us, but our growth we have to depend on our own future, and that is where we are seeing how we can start to ease up on that dependency, but still have access to their energy.”

PM Pushes Public-Private Partnerships to Cut Costs, Boost Infrastructure

At today’s signing of a major energy deal between Belize Electricity Limited and the Blair Athol Power Company, Prime Minister John Briceño took the opportunity to spotlight a bigger picture, the growing need for collaboration between government and the private sector. The agreement marks a step forward in Belize’s push for sustainable energy, but according to the Prime Minister, it’s just the beginning. He says more public-private partnerships are on the way, especially to tackle one costly issue: the government’s massive spending on office rentals.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“What is happening is that there are many instances, there’s so much work that has to be done and sometimes it’s not just for government to do it on itself. That is when they make these purchase partnerships, private public sector, private partnership agreements where, for instance as a good example is right now we are going to build a new area for the magistrate and the higher or the upper court, the complex here, right here on the Lake Independence Boulevard. That’s an example of a PPP where government has signed up with, social security, and I think some of the banks that have already expressed interest into building this complex and then the, instead of paying rent to somebody else, they’re going to pay for ownership. And that is something we’ve been talking a lot about it, I know you guys have been making a lot, a big deal about the rents and you’re right. And it’s something that should have been addressed a long time. But the plan now is to be able to look in areas like Belmopan, orange Walk, where it’s most needed and see if we can create partnerships with the private sector to build these buildings and then instead of paying rent to others, we could rent to own that. And so it, that’s what were talking to with the IDB.”

Pilot Sues Airports Authority After Deadly Hijacking

There’s a dramatic legal twist following a terrifying mid-air ordeal that shook the nation just months ago. The Belize Airports Authority is now facing a lawsuit filed by Tropic Air pilot Howell Grange and two passengers, survivors of a harrowing hijacking back in April that ended with the death of the hijacker, American national Akinyela Taylor. Grange, who was stabbed multiple times during the attack, has since undergone therapy in the U.S. and is now taking legal action, represented by none other than Senior Counsel Dean Barrow. And just this evening, Prime Minister John Briceño broke his silence with a brief comment on the pending case.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Of course, I have to be concerned. I mean I’m a bit disappointed that that’s going to happen, but not surprised. But more than that, I don’t want to comment because quite likely it will end up in court.”