Street Legend Tyrone Meighan Executed in Broad Daylight

Brothers, Tyrone and Ellis Meighan are well-known names in the streets of Belize City. Over the years, they have had numerous run-ins with the law, serving time for and beating several accusations. On August first, Belize City was shaken by a brazen act of gun violence when thirty-one-year-old Tyrone Meighan was executed just after eleven a.m. His death comes amid an escalation of violence between feuding groups in Belize City, raising serious concerns about the safety of Belize’s streets. News Five’s Britney Gordon files the report.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Gang violence has claimed another life in Belize City, this time, it’s thirty-one-year-old Tyrone Meighan. Meighan’s name has long been tied to crime headlines. Back in 2012, he and two others were charged with killing B.D.F. soldier James Norales. They beat the case in 2015, but a retrial followed. A witness claimed Norales was targeted for allegedly working with police, but the judge tossed the testimony as weak and circumstantial. Meighan walked free again and spoke of his relief. But now, years later, his life has ended violently on the same streets that once put him in the spotlight.

 

Tyrone Meighan, Deceased (File: July 17^th, 2018)

“The first thing that comes to mind is that God is good. You can’t never ever turn your back on God because God is good. Six years of this. Experience is very, very, serious. You know you are fighting for your life on the line, it is your life. It is not to play. It is a job for them but life for us.”

 

Three years after the murder case that made headlines, Tyrone Meighan was back in the news, this time, for a high-profile home invasion. He was one of eighteen people charged in the 2015 burglary at the home of Lebanese honorary consul Sarkis Abou-Nehra. Guns, liquor, and other valuables were stolen. But the most disturbing part? The diplomat’s maid was raped during the break-in, and Meighan was accused of that crime. His mother, Shelly Meighan, publicly defended him, insisting her son wasn’t responsible.

 

Shelly Meighan, Mother of Deceased (File: December 7^th, 2015)

“Tyrone has alibi witness that he was home. This is a serious offense…for rape. Tyrone is not like that. Eight dark-skinned persons with mask; how could you identify Tyrone Meighan? Tyrone Meighan, Shaquille Meighan, Ellis Meighan look di same so why dehn neva ker my son pan parade ID. They denied Tyrone the swiping weh dehn do all the rest of man. Dehn denied Tyrone hair…Tyrone ask them to take hair and fi swipe ahn just like how dehn swipe the rest. Dehn noh swipe Tyrone none at all.”

 

A DNA sample later identified Paul Jex Jr. as the perpetrator, and he was subsequently charged for the crime. However, just a few years later, brothers Tyrone and Ellis Meighan were both handed charges for “being a member of a gang”. A charge that the brothers adamantly refuted in court. Their lawyer at the time, Dickie Bradley, argued that the brothers were being targeted.

 

Dickie Bradley, Attorney-at-Law (File: February 14^th, 2020)

“None of the three persons have ever been convicted of anything in the courts. They have been arrested regularly, but we all know the police are targeting the young men in the city of Belize, particularly young black men, some of who, of course, should be in prison. Let’s admit that some of them are not trying to do good; they are trying to do bad. In this case, we are hoping that what has transpired—the fact that they know they are being targeted, they know that they are being watched, photographed; lies are being told, that their lives are also in danger.”

 

Ellis and Tyrone were acquitted of the charges in 2023, but not before landing behind bars, once again, when they were accused of violating bail conditions by missing their scheduled court appearance. The brothers had travelled to Mexico, allegedly to purchase medicine for Ellis’ sick daughter. However, they were intercepted by Mexican authorities and handed back over to Belize. Their attorney in this matter, Norman Rodriguez, said that the brothers had not intended to violate the bail conditions.

 

Norman Rodriguez, Attorney-at-Law (File: March 22^nd, 2022)

“So there was no evidence – the evidence that the prosecution attempted to bring were photocopies of documents unauthenticated. The only evidence that was elicited in court is that the officer went to Orange Walk, received two people from another officer who had brought them from Corozal, but that was, as far as I’m concerned, hearsay because there was no tangible evidence to support that.”

 

While Tyrone Meighan was not wanted for any crimes at the time of his death, police are confident that his murder is gang related.

 

ACP Hilberto Romero, Head of Crime Investigation Unit (File: August 4^th, 2025)

“We have several theories. We know this one is gang related with Tyrone Meighan. And we are trying to put the pieces together, but we cannot conclude if they’re related.”

 

At this time, no charges have been made in the investigation. Britney Gordon for News Five.