Posted: Thursday, March 6, 2025. 7:24 pm CST.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Five Belizean men, including a former employee of Western Dairies Ltd., have been remanded to the Belize Central Prison pending bail at the High Court following an armed robbery earlier this week.
The accused have been identified as Deandre McKoy, 33, a Belizean LIU worker; Tarique Gillett, 28, a part-time electrician; Christian Ashton Castillo, 24, a self-employed businessman; Emory Anane Lino, 19, a bodywork technician; and Willman Espinall, 23, a former Western Dairies truck driver.
The group was jointly charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. Additionally, McKoy, Gillett, Castillo, and Lino face charges of robbery. It is alleged that on March 3, 2025, they robbed William Bermudez of $4,737.44 BZD in cash and stole a black iPhone belonging to Espinall.
All five accused pleaded not guilty and were remanded until June 2, 2025. During the court proceedings, attorney Orson “OJ” Elrington, representing Espinall, argued that conspiracy to commit robbery is not among the offenses that automatically disqualify a defendant from bail under the Crime Control & Criminal Justice Act. Despite this, the Senior Magistrate denied bail, citing her discretion in the matter.
Elrington further requested that the court record reflect that Espinall had not been made aware of any firearm-related accusations and that he had reported being beaten by police while in custody. The attorney also alleged that Espinall’s cellphone was taken and searched without his consent. The Senior Magistrate noted that police claimed Espinall had sent text messages informing the alleged robbers of the amount of cash in the truck, which factored into her decision to deny bail.
According to police reports, the robbery occurred on Monday, March 3, at approximately 3:20 p.m. on Main Road in Burrell Boom Village. Victims William Bermudez and Willman Espinall were making deliveries when a man flagged them down under the pretense of purchasing an item. As they exited their truck, two masked men in black clothing assaulted them and held them at gunpoint. One of the attackers then entered the truck and stole the cash and phone before escaping in a waiting white vehicle.
Prompt police response led to the interception of a white car at Mile 4 on the George Price Highway, where four of the accused were found inside. Espinall, who was initially reported as a victim, was later charged after police allegedly discovered messages linking him to the robbery.
During his arraignment, Espinall informed the court that he was no longer employed by Western Dairies, as he had been fired following the incident.
The accused remain in custody, with their next court appearance set for June 2, 2025.
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The post Five Belizean men remanded for Western Dairies robbery appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Thursday, March 6, 2025. 7:24 pm CST. By Breaking Belize News Staff: Five Belizean men, including a former employee of Western Dairies Ltd., have been
The post Five Belizean men remanded for Western Dairies robbery appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
