By Breaking Belize News Staff: Nineteen-year-old Nathan Ochoa, who is accused of raping a 21-year-old woman, has been remanded to the Belize Central Prison after the Chief Magistrate revoked his bail late Friday evening, finding that he lied to the court about the death of his grandmother.
Ochoa appeared in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on Friday afternoon after repeatedly failing to show up for his court dates. At around 3:00 p.m., he was escorted into Court #1, where the issue of his continued absence was addressed.
When questioned, Ochoa told the court that his grandmother had died one or two days earlier. Unsatisfied with his explanation, the Chief Magistrate asked when the funeral took place, at which point Ochoa changed his account and said the funeral was held that day. He was then asked to provide a photograph from the funeral, as is customary, and was unable to do so. The court concluded that Ochoa had fabricated the story.
In revoking his bail, the Chief Magistrate noted that Ochoa had been shown considerable leniency when he was granted bail on the day of his arraignment, despite the seriousness of the charges. The court described his conduct as deceitful, disrespectful, and ungrateful, and ordered that he be remanded until February 13, 2026.
Ochoa was first arraigned on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, on two charges—rape and wounding—arising from an incident involving a 21-year-old woman. He was granted bail in the sum of $5,000 on each charge, an uncommon occurrence given that bail for rape is typically denied at the first instance in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court.
According to the facts of the case, on Sunday, September 14, 2025, at about 2:15 a.m., police responded to a report of a woman in distress at a residence in the Ladyville area. Officers found a 21-year-old woman with visible injuries to her face and neck, who reported that she had been raped.
Investigations revealed that earlier, on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at about 9:10 a.m., the victim was at home alone when Ochoa, a person known to her, arrived to collect items he had previously left at the house. Police say Ochoa refused to leave, causing the woman to become frightened. She reportedly ran to her room and locked the door, but Ochoa allegedly kicked it down, attacked her, and choked her until she lost consciousness.
The victim told police that she regained consciousness during the assault and began screaming for help. Persons in the area heard her cries and contacted emergency services. Police arrived shortly thereafter, detained Ochoa, and escorted him to the Ladyville Police Station.
The victim was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for treatment and was issued a medico-legal form. A doctor later classified her injuries as harm. Police also obtained a buccal swab sample from Ochoa while he was in custody. On Monday, September 15, 2025, based on the victim’s report, Ochoa was formally arrested and charged with rape and harm.
The post Bail revoked for accused rapist after lying to Court about granny’s death appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Nineteen-year-old Nathan Ochoa, who is accused of raping a 21-year-old woman, has been remanded to the Belize Central Prison after the Chief Magistrate revoked his bail late Friday evening, finding that he lied to the court about the death of his grandmother. Ochoa appeared in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court
The post Bail revoked for accused rapist after lying to Court about granny’s death appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.