By Breaking Belize News Staff: Kentroy Marlon McKoy is now the sole accused set to stand trial for the 2024 murder of fisherman Mark Francisco after the murder charge against his former co-accused, Degron Shakeel Joseph, was withdrawn earlier this year.
McKoy appeared before Justice Candace Nanton in the High Court on Thursday, where his judge-alone murder trial was scheduled for March 2 to March 12, 2027.
A further case management conference has been set for December 1, 2026. McKoy remains on remand at the Belize Central Prison.
McKoy and Joseph were initially jointly charged in August 2024 with the murder of Francisco, who was shot and killed on August 4, 2024, while preparing to leave on a fishing trip in the Yarborough area of Belize City.
Police said Francisco was not known to be involved in gang activity and investigators believed he may not have been the intended target of the attack.
According to the police investigation, Francisco was near a white Ford Explorer with other persons when a heavily tinted silver Toyota 4Runner approached and a gunman opened fire. Francisco was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators later reviewed surveillance footage from private cameras and the police citywide camera system, which allegedly tracked the 4Runner before and after the shooting. Police said the footage also linked McKoy and Joseph to the vehicle in the period surrounding the killing.
Joseph is no longer before the court on the murder charge following a directive from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to withdraw the case against him.
McKoy, however, remains charged with Francisco’s murder and is expected to return to the High Court on December 1 ahead of his March 2027 trial.
The post Kentroy McKoy to stand trial in 2027 for murder of fisherman Mark Francisco appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Kentroy Marlon McKoy is now the sole accused set to stand trial for the 2024 murder of fisherman Mark Francisco after the murder charge against his former co-accused, Degron Shakeel Joseph, was withdrawn earlier this year. McKoy appeared before Justice Candace Nanton in the High Court on Thursday, where his
The post Kentroy McKoy to stand trial in 2027 for murder of fisherman Mark Francisco appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.