By Breaking Belize News Staff: Maurice Usher Jr. is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in connection with the 2021 killing of Crooked Tree resident Geoffrey Crawford.
Justice Derick Sylvester heard mitigation submissions in the High Court and has reserved June 9, 2026, as the date to deliver an appropriate sentence.
Crawford was killed on September 29, 2021, at Mile 31 in Crooked Tree Village along the Philip Goldson Highway.
At the time, Crawford had been reported missing from his home, which is located near the Crooked Tree junction on the opposite side of the highway. Also missing was his red Nissan Pathfinder.
Investigators were led to suspect two men in Crawford’s disappearance after a neighbor told police he had assisted the men in jump-starting Crawford’s vehicle. The neighbor said he initially believed the men were Crawford’s relatives or close friends.
However, as the men drove away in the Pathfinder, the neighbor reportedly saw Crawford lying unconscious in the back seat with visible head injuries. Realizing something was wrong, he immediately contacted police.
Usher Jr. pleaded guilty to manslaughter and not guilty to murder on Wednesday, February 5, 2026.
During mitigation, his attorney, Oscar Selgado, submitted documents aimed at showing the court how his client has been rehabilitating while behind bars.
According to the defense, Usher Jr. participated in three rehabilitation programs, including the Rachel Program and a gang, drug, and alcohol intervention program.
Usher Jr. also submitted a personal letter to the court containing his final words for the judge to consider before sentencing.
Justice Sylvester will hand down sentence on June 9, 2026.
In a related development, police later made a second arrest in the case. About eight months after Crawford’s killing, investigators detained a second suspect, who was later identified as 31-year-old Patrick Lloyd Young, a sanitation worker of #27 Sabal Community, Dangriga.
Young was formally charged and arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on Friday, October 3, 2025.
The post Maurice Usher Jr. awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to manslaughter in Geoffrey Crawford killing appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Maurice Usher Jr. is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in connection with the 2021 killing of Crooked Tree resident Geoffrey Crawford. Justice Derick Sylvester heard mitigation submissions in the High Court and has reserved June 9, 2026, as the date to deliver an appropriate
The post Maurice Usher Jr. awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to manslaughter in Geoffrey Crawford killing appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
