DPP Orders Murder Charge Against Police Constable Urbina

A police officer has been charged for the fatal stabbing of nineteen‑year‑old American student Kevin Matthew Depaz on Caye Caulker. After months of investigation into the June 2025 incident, where a late‑night brawl left one man dead and several others injured, the DPP has directed that twenty‑year‑old Police Constable Lionel Rodolfo Urbina be charged with murder, attempted murder, and use of deadly means of harm.

A second officer who was initially detained has been cleared. Urbina was taken off the island this morning and brought to Belize City, where he appeared before the Chief Magistrate. No plea was taken, bail was denied, and he has been remanded to the Belize Central Prison until March thirty-first, 2026. The charges stem from a chaotic fight outside a Caye Caulker fast‑food spot around 2:30 a.m. on June thirtieth, 2025. Police say Depaz and his friends had punched a man, prompting two off‑duty officers, Urbina and Darneak Swasey, to follow their golf cart. A second group arrived, and the confrontation escalated into a stabbing that left Depaz dead, and two others seriously injured. Investigators later reviewed witness statements and key surveillance footage before moving forward with charges against Urbina alone. He appeared in court unrepresented and will return to court in San Pedro.