Posted: Monday, October 20, 2025. 10:04 pm CST.
Photo Credits: Channel 5 News/Channel 7 News/St Michael’s R.C. School-Facebook
By Aaron Humes: A devastating house fire in San Felipe Village, Orange Walk District, which this morning, Monday, claimed the lives of Angelita Magaña, 35, and her six-year-old son, Tishan Godoy, is what police believe is a horrific final act of domestic violence.
Angelita’s ex-common law partner, Francisco Godoy, allegedly entered the room, where she, Tishan and older daughter Shadia, 17, were sleeping around 3 a.m., police report. Reports indicate that he poured gasoline on the three of them and ignited the flames before attempting to flee. In a frantic effort to escape, both Angelita and Tishan became trapped and ultimately perished in the inferno. Miguel Novelo, Angelita’s common-law husband, was in another room when he heard commotion. Upon investigating, he witnessed Godoy exiting the room in flames. He and another resident of the vicinity managed to assist Shadia out of the burning structure just in time. They were both transported to the Northern Regional Hospital, along with Godoy, with critical injuries; Novelo has since been released.
This afternoon, Police revealed that Godoy was convicted of one crime against Angelita and was accused of another, rape, and was released from prison after serving time for the first while on bail for the second: “Godoy has been charged before in relation to an offence against Miss Magana, namely harm, and he was convicted; as a matter of fact, it was just last week Thursday, I have been advised, that he was released, having pleaded guilty to the harm against Miss Magana. I have also been advised that Miss Magana sought to obtain a restraining order on Friday; however, due to the time she reached the courthouse, this was not able to have been facilitated.”
Staff Officer Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith said it was “most unfortunate” and “regrettable” that Godoy had a “narrow window” with which to seek out Magana and allegedly try to get her to get back together with him, and when rebuffed, allegedly carry out the attack: “In a situation where there exists a level of fear from a woman, the prudent thing would be to report it to the station and intervention would be done by the part of the police officers. In this scenario, I think what would have been the ideal situation at hand was for a revocation of his High Court bail. I think the only reason why there may have been a gap that allowed him to be on the street, and as you can see it was a very narrow window, was because at the time that he went to court on Thursday, he was remanded from April up until recent times so I don’t believe that steps would have been made to have his High Court bail revoked given that he was already remanded for another incident. So, it just so happened, and unfortunately so, that the situation created a window for him and he took advantage of it.” She added that police are not aware of any reports from Magana about any threats or fear of harm by Godoy, which would have been enough for detention.
The incident has sparked outrage and sorrow across the nation, prompting a strong response from the Ministry of Human Development, Family Support and Gender Affairs, the Office of the Special Envoy for the Development of Families and Children, and the National Women’s Commission. In a joint statement, they condemned the incident as an egregious act of femicide and reaffirmed their commitment to combat gender-based violence in Belize.
“The heartbreaking loss of Angelita and Tishan serves as a tragic reminder of the urgent need to address domestic violence in our society,” the organizations stated. “This violence cannot be tolerated, and we must work collectively to ensure that such horrific acts do not happen again.”
As investigations continue, community leaders, civil society organizations, and concerned citizens are being urged to take action and join the fight against gender-based violence. The organizations are advocating for stronger legislative frameworks to protect women and children and increase access to support services for victims of domestic violence.
For further information or to seek help, individuals can contact the Ministry of Human Development at 501-822-2245 or visit their support services.
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Government condemns femicide – police asked, “What more can have been done” in San Felipe case
The post Government condemns femicide – police asked, “What more can have been done” in San Felipe case appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Monday, October 20, 2025. 10:04 pm CST. Photo Credits: Channel 5 News/Channel 7 News/St Michael’s R.C. School-Facebook By Aaron Humes: A devastating house fire in
The post Government condemns femicide – police asked, “What more can have been done” in San Felipe case appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
