Ellis Meighan’s Murder Case Moves to Independence

What should have been a routine court appearance in a southern murder case turned into a brief stopover in Belize City today for thirty-three‑year‑old Ellis Meighan. With no magistrate currently sitting in Independence, Meighan was brought to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court, where he arrived around nine this morning and waited more than two hours before being escorted into a courtroom. Inside, the Chief Magistrate handed over a hefty package of evidence, one hundred and eighty-one pages and twenty-two original photographs, telling Meighan that this is the full disclosure in the murder case he faces. His attorney, Abibi Moguel of the Lynden Jones Law Firm, stood beside him as the court set his next date: April 8^th, 2026, when he’ll return to the Independence Magistrate’s Court for his preliminary inquiry. Meighan’s legal troubles stretch back to September 12^th, 2025, when he was deported from the U.S. and immediately arraigned in Belize City. He is accused of murdering Roy Lee Burgess in April 2024 and is also charged with attempted murder and related offenses for allegedly shooting American national Maia James, who survived a gunshot to the head. Come April, Meighan will finally stand before the court with a magistrate present, this time in Independence, as the case inches toward trial.

 

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