Belize - Francesca Matus, 52, & Drew De Voursney, 36, murdered, Corozal, 25 Apr 2017

[otto]

Dear Otto,

In your opinion, could one person have physically done all of this? I suppose it is possible but how does one move a 200 lb. muscular 6 foot 6 inches man?

Thank you in advance,

Absolutely. The backdoor lock on the driver's side has been tampered with, providing access to a culprit. Hiding in the backseat, that culprit could have easily incapacitated both Drew and Francesca with a taser.

I don't think that dragging a couple of dead bodies out of the vehicle was all that difficult - they were not in rigor.

 

[otto]

I was thinking about DeShaies being hired to remove the electronics from the casino. According to the Belize press, this happened back in March. And since then he's been keeping at least some of these high end electronics in his rented house by the ocean. I can see he may have been hired to do it, but it seems to me to have been a very shady deal where he was also paid to conceal the stuff in his home. How would his landlady have reacted if she knew he had such 'disputed' goods in her house?

Just speculating.

So the best friend of Francesca removed property from a casino and stored that property on her 2.5 water front acreage? Was she okay with this? ... as in, did she know?

What sort of threat was brought against her? We know it wasn't a death threat, but clearly a threat means that she really pissed someone off, right?

 

[otto]

Here's some info about the Canadian wanted for murder. https://www.sanpedrosun.com/police-...ve-jordan-bacchus-also-wanted-toronto-canada/

There is border control between the two countries as best as there can be, but it is porous in many areas. It is possible and common for people to cross the borders illegally to commit crimes.

Porous borders?

Expats get away with murder in Belize because the border is porous, and falsely accused people have incentive to use the porous borders because being subjected to tunnel vision style police investigation of murder charges is a bit over the top for most friends of murder victims?

However, who is claiming ownership of Francesca's property? It belongs to her sons, and they need to go there and stake claim by living in the house ... just being there is enough.

Wasn't the head of McAfee anti-virus software in Belize when he murdered his neighbour? He definitely appreciated the porous borders. Didn't he go to Guatemala before fleeing to the USA?

http://www.businessinsider.com/john-mcafee-what-really-happened-in-belize-2016-5

 

[otto]

A haven form murderers who can find porous borders, or a brutal lawless country with a murder rate that exceeds annual Chicago per capita rates?.

Another famous Belize murder by the man who invented MaAfee unit virus software:

"Thus began a war between myself and the government of Belize that went on until October of 2012, when my neighbor was murdered. To this day I believe the target was myself, and that the incompetence of the government caused the assassins to enter the wrong house.

The Belizean government, of course, in its insidious fashion, has been continuing to structure a case that will someday, force my return to Belize.

I was never charged with anything.

The day after my neighbor's murder, the Belizean police came to question me, from which questioning, I knew I would never return. There are horrors (torture, dismemberment, et.) inside Belizean jails.

I went underground, escaped into Guatemala, where I was arrested, and after a legal battle was returned to the US rather than to Belize."

http://www.businessinsider.com/john-mcafee-what-really-happened-in-belize-2016-5

 

[abstr]

I don't think so. The USA FBI has a long history of parachuting into other countries and attempting a legal system take over (e.g. Natalie Holiday).

That's not Canada's style. Canada respects that other nationalities have figured out their legal systems, but will step in for human rights issues.

I believe you mean Natalie Holloway

 

[Indy Anna]

Sure, his girlfriend and her two children are in Belize, but hasn't he been there for 6 years?

What we have heard is that the main floor tenant left early in the morning and returned late in the day every day and no one knew where he was going. We have also heard that he may have been behind in his rent (owing Francesca money, although she was leaving the country as he lived in her house) ... but if he has another family, I suppose he was paying rent on two homes.

Have we just learned that this same best friend of Francesca's who was coming to her house at night and leaving early in the morning has another family, and at the same time he was sleeping at her house ... somewhere on the main floor, not paying rent, and watching her prepare to leave the country on the night that she was murdered?

BBM Was this in MSM? I've only seen it in SM, so I don't think there's any evidence that's true.

Also, why could JD's gf and kids not be living with JD in the house FM owned? Why would he have to have a 2nd home? He (and presumably his family) lived on the lower/main level while FM lived on the upper level. JD may have been working during the day, playing golf, or any number of things.

If JM had sold her house, displacing JD, and it angered JD to the point he murdered FM and DD as some have suggested, JD would've done a great disservice to his gf and kids if he was the one paying rent for all of them. They would be left without a home and anyone to pay the bills. I'm not sure he's that stupid.

all JMO

 

[samsmom]

I don't know what to think.

Belize is a very small country with a population of just over 300k. As a tiny country it is pretty much impossible to attract any industry so, in light of the fact that the country has tremendous areas of beauty, tourism is a key element to support the economy. On the other hand, Belize is surrounded by countries in the drug trade. With many citizens struggling to survive, many are attracted to crime.

Now that they have a high profile murder on their hands it would be in their interest to "blame the expats" for the murder of their own. And, no doubt many LE are corrupt due to their circumstances.

Having said that, many of the expats attracted to a low-key, somewhat under-the-radar country are trying to escape something. I don't mean to imply that all of them are, as many, no doubt, just want to live a simple life, removed from extreme commercialization and over the top social expectations of the US and Canada. But in this type of environment it would not be surprising to find an above average proportion of people who don't fit into society, some of whom might be more prone to crime or more subject to crime.

The fact (according to LE) that the victims weren't robbed leads me to believe there was an expat involved. In other murder cases in Belize, how many times were the bodies hidden? The other cases tended to be kill (steal) and run, with no worry about the bodies.


So, I call it a tie. Belizean LE could be desperately trying to sweep this under the rug, to either appease locals who need the tourism trade, or to cover for corrupt local criminals. OR, a not-quite-socially-balanced expat could well have tried to solve a perceived wrong or risk to wealth.

In the end the people who suffer are the family and loved ones of the victims and the everyday people of Belize who just want things to go smoothly...who just need things to go smoothly.

Thank you for the thought-provoking post. You always have such great ideas. Very psychologically detailed.

 

[dotr]

It could not have been easy to carve a path through a sugar cane field in the dark and dump two people, one of whom was a sturdy 6'6'' man, imo, speculation.rbbm
http://www.ajc.com/news/murder-belize-canadian-held-person-interest/ViSImVAyEkCiTSRJj71fxN/

Demetrio Yam, left, shows Roger Kene, where he found the bodies of Drew DeVoursney and Francesca Matus Monday morning in his sugar cane field in northern Belize. “The path was not here. When they brought the bodies, they left this trail,” he said, speaking in Spanish through an interpreter. “I don’t really know exactly what happened.” JEREMY REDMON/jredmon@ajc.com

 

[fred&edna]

Sure, his girlfriend and her two children are in Belize, but hasn't he been there for 6 years?

What we have heard is that the main floor tenant left early in the morning and returned late in the day every day and no one knew where he was going. We have also heard that he may have been behind in his rent (owing Francesca money, although she was leaving the country as he lived in her house) ... but if he has another family, I suppose he was paying rent on two homes.

Have we just learned that this same best friend of Francesca's who was coming to her house at night and leaving early in the morning has another family, and at the same time he was sleeping at her house ... somewhere on the main floor, not paying rent, and watching her prepare to leave the country on the night that she was murdered?

BBM We have heard AND read quite a number of conflicting reports and/or there's been misinformation about this case.

If JD has been there six years... where was he living before the Matus house? Where is this girlfriend and where does she live? Was she detained/released? If she lives somewhere other than the Matus residence... then why wasn't JD living with her??

So many questions along with confusing info that leaves us with additional questions and no straight answers.

AND, per the link in my last post "Deshaies was remanded to the Hattieville prison until November sixth, when disclosure is to occur followed by a preliminary inquiry on November twenty-third. Duane Moody for News Five."

So... I wonder if we will hear nothing else "official" from Belize law enforcement for six months??

IMO... IF JD committed these murders I don't believe he did it alone.

 

[dotr]

Some reports have said JD lived in Belize for 3 years, this one says 2 and1/2. rbbm
http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/145815

May 5, 2017 Charged for Theft and a Person of Interest for Double Murder, John DeShaies Denies Both

The Canadian national, who says he has been living in Belize for the past two and a half years with his girlfriend and two kids is accused of the theft of over fifty-seven thousand dollars worth of electronics from the Placencia Casino,

 

[fred&edna]

O/T 'I have family members who (a few years ago) planned to retire to Belize. When I saw them just a couple of weeks ago they said they've now decided they will be spending their retirement living in Ecuador. Their decision has nothing to do with this case. They have (already retired) friends living in Ecuador... and everyone seems to love it there. I'm not sure exactly what factors-in when determining "safe" in either location.

 

[fred&edna]

'Just remembered this post about Matus owning two properties. Anyone have more info on TWO properties??


http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...Corozal-25-April-2017&p=13354296#post13354296

For the record, Matus owned 2 properties in Belize.

 

[Gardenista]

I'm not sure where you saw people from Belize defending the horrible crime rate in Belize. Please do point them out to me. I would think that no one would defend the crime rate in their country, wherever that might be.

Go to the Belize News FB page. They are everywhere.

 

[Satchie]

It could not have been easy to carve a path through a sugar cane field in the dark and dump two people, one of whom was a sturdy 6'6'' man, imo, speculation.rbbm
http://www.ajc.com/news/murder-belize-canadian-held-person-interest/ViSImVAyEkCiTSRJj71fxN/

Hacking a path thru sugar cane seems to me to require someone experienced with a machete. I wonder, while this crime doesn't appear to have the MO of a Belizian/migrant robber (who I can't imagine leaving behind a wallet), it's possible that one or two were hired to do it, and supervised so they couldn't take anything that might be traced. Workers would know their way around the fields and would be awaiting the burning so they could get money harvesting.

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[Kamille]

'Just remembered this post about Matus owning two properties. Anyone have more info on TWO properties??


http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...Corozal-25-April-2017&p=13354296#post13354296

For the record, Matus owned 2 properties in Belize.

To my knowledge she owned just the one property, had named it "Whispering Palms" and listed it as a vacation rental property. It appears the facebook account was started in Jan 2015. Perhaps her plan was always to have vacationing tourists renting on the main floor while keeping the upper floor for herself. Not sure when JD would have become a permanent tenant but it does appear that ended any attempts to rent "Whispering Palms" to vacationers as the facebook account went pretty silent and there appears to be no other advertisements online for this as a rental property.

https://www.facebook.com/Whispering...2596528848193/712625878845258/?type=1&theater

From both that and her personal FB page there is no indication that she owned more than one property or that she had any intention of selling this one. She was returning to Canada in April/May as she did every other year. She even indicated to a friend on FB who was in Belize that she'd see them in a few months indicating that she was planning to return. Last year she returned in September for a few weeks before "wintering" there from Jan-May. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with regards to her property situation down there.

She may have been considering purchasing another investment/rental property down there with some other person/people that may have fallen through. This may be where the "land deal that went sour" rumours are coming from. Perhaps this is where she made an enemy? Would it be reason enough for someone to want her dead before she had a chance to return to Canada?

Was someone waiting for the opportunity to catch her alone and there was just not a time when she wasn't in Drew's company for the past weeks or months? So he became unfortunate collateral damage when the perp(s) ran out of time to carry out her murder just hours before she was due to leave the country?

MOO

 

[Kamille]

It could not have been easy to carve a path through a sugar cane field in the dark and dump two people, one of whom was a sturdy 6'6'' man, imo, speculation.rbbm
http://www.ajc.com/news/murder-belize-canadian-held-person-interest/ViSImVAyEkCiTSRJj71fxN/

Why does that look like some strange circular "nest" that was fashioned out of dry ground cover in the cane field and also looks like it was set on fire? :waitasec:

 

[Satchie]

Why does that look like some strange circular "nest" that was fashioned out of dry ground cover in the cane field and also looks like it was set on fire? :waitasec:

I think perhaps cane was hacked to make a path (and is now gone brown), and perhaps piled on top and around them, and appears circular perhaps because of how they were uncovered.

I may be imagining it, but it feels to me like a very diabolical plan.


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[dotr]

O/Tish, bet this resort will have excellent security!, imo, speculation.
https://www.popsugar.com/home/Leonardo-DiCaprio-Announces-Eco-Resort-Belize-37224326

[h=2]Oscar-Winner Leonardo DiCaprio Is Opening the Eco-Resort of Your Dreams[/h] February 29, 2016 by Brinton Parker First Published: April 6, 2015

If you had a mad crush on Leonardo DiCaprio in the '90s, then you probably fantasized about taking a romantic beach vacation with him (à la The Beach) more than once. Well, the romantic part probably won't happen, but starting in 2018 you can explore Leo's private beach while staying at his new eco-resort. The environmentally impassioned activist announced this month that he plans to develop his private, 100-plus-acre island off the Belizean coast — a place that he calls "heaven on earth" — into a luxury resort focused on restoring the overfished, deforested land.

"Belize is truly unique. It has the second largest coral reef system in the world, and it has some of the most biodiverse marine life, like the manatee population and almost every species of fish you can imagine. Then there are the Mayan temples and the culture," DiCaprio told The New York Times of the location, adding that he wants to change the world with the resort. "I couldn't have gone to Belize and built on an island and done something like this, if it weren't for the idea that it could be groundbreaking in the environmental movement."

 

[Satchie]

Private islands are the best way to keep the riff-raff out, and that includes you and me!


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[fred&edna]

O/Tish, bet this resort will have excellent security!, imo, speculation.
https://www.popsugar.com/home/Leonardo-DiCaprio-Announces-Eco-Resort-Belize-37224326

Continued O/T

Hmmm.... wondering if they're taking reservations yet, I might be brave enough to just take a look

hone:

ETA: J/K (for anyone who might take me seriously)