By Breaking Belize News Staff: Nearly four years after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the 2018 killing of Police Constable Osbourne Martinez, Tyrique Myles and Glen Lopez are finally moving closer to sentencing, with prosecutors and defense attorneys agreeing to recommend prison terms of 17 and a half years and 13 years, respectively.
The proposed sentences were presented before High Court Justice Nigel Pilgrim on Wednesday, October 28, after the court accepted a plea agreement between the prosecution and defense. However, the judge has not yet decided whether to approve the recommended sentences.
Myles, 26, and Lopez, 29, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in November 2022 but have remained in prison awaiting sentencing for almost four years.
The case stems from the November 2, 2018 armed robbery at the Belcove Hotel on Regent Street West in Belize City, during which the 27-year-old police officer was fatally shot while responding to a robbery in progress.
According to the agreed facts presented in court, Myles was identified as the shooter, while Lopez participated in holding the hotel owner and employees at gunpoint and stealing cash, jewelry and cellular phones.
Crown Counsel Riis Cattouse outlined the aggravating factors considered in reaching the proposed sentences, including the use of firearms, the commission of another serious crime and the fact that Martinez was killed while carrying out his duties as a police officer.
The prosecution also acknowledged questions surrounding whether Myles intended to kill the officer when he discharged his firearm, while Lopez’s level of culpability was assessed as lower because he was not identified as the shooter.
Both men received proposed reductions for their guilty pleas, although the prosecution argued that neither qualified for the maximum one-third discount because their pleas were not entered at the earliest opportunity.
As previously reported by Breaking Belize News, the proceedings have suffered repeated delays, including difficulties locating the original agreed facts and completing the necessary sentencing documents.
Their third co-accused, Rayford Mejia, was convicted of murder in May 2023 following a full trial and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.
Justice Pilgrim has scheduled further proceedings for November 10, with mitigation submissions expected on November 19 before the court determines the appropriate sentences.
The post Nearly four years after guilty pleas, two men could face 17½ and 13 years for killing of police constable Osbourne Martinez appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Nearly four years after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the 2018 killing of Police Constable Osbourne Martinez, Tyrique Myles and Glen Lopez are finally moving closer to sentencing, with prosecutors and defense attorneys agreeing to recommend prison terms of 17 and a half years and 13 years, respectively. The proposed
The post Nearly four years after guilty pleas, two men could face 17½ and 13 years for killing of police constable Osbourne Martinez appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
