News from the Belize courts:

Herman Mejia, who was convicted of the brutal 1994 murder of Ann Reilly Dines, the noted American gardening writer, and her British husband, Alan Dines, will not face the gallows after all, said the Belize Supreme Court. His sentence was commuted to life in prison.

The Dineses were beaten to death and their bodies thrown over the seawall on their was home from a San Pedro night club late a night in February 1994. Their deaths eventually helped spur new lighting along beach areas of San Pedro.

Ann Reilly Dines was an expatriate living with her husband of one year on Ambergris Caye. She was the author of more than 40 gardening books.

--Lan Sluder
Belize First Magazine http://www.belizefirst.com/

that is sad....so they do have a death penalty in BZ? And they do it by "hanging?" Does he have a chance for "parole" like we do in the states?

Yes, hanging is the form of capital punishment practiced in Belize, though it rarely is carried out. Reilly's killer had his sentenced commuted because he had spent more than five years on death row, and five years is the limit.

Escaping from prison is the main kind of "parole" available to murderers and other convicted criminals in Belize. Several dangerous prisoners seem to escape every few weeks. Not that they can be blamed -- the Hattieville Ramada is considered one of the world's worst prisons. Next time you're on the mainland, take the Boom road and have a look.

--Lan Sluder

does anyone know why he killed her?? have their been many murders on AC? Do you know what the #1 violent crime is on AC? LAN, do you live on AC/Belize??/

[This message has been edited by rickcheri (edited 06-17-2001).]

Robbery may have been the motive, if I recall correctly. The Dineses were out very late at a club in town, and returning to their home around 4 in the morning the guy attacked them just south of town. They fought back -- Alan Dines was recently retired from the British military -- but to no avail.

The island does have crime, a bit more probably than many people would think, but perhaps not more than one would expect in a "well-to-do" town of 10,000 or so located in a region of considerable poverty and which each year gets 75,000 or so "wealthy" international tourists (all things being relative). The island is a natural magnet for n'er do wells from other areas, not just from Belize but from neighboring countries.

I don't know that reliable crime stats exist. The Belize government releases statistics regularly, but they seem to fly in the face of common sense. Plus, naturally, it is in the best interest of hotels and other tourism related interests on Ambergris (which is just about everybody) to avoid publicizing crime, especially crimes involving visitros. That's the case anywhere in the world where visitors are an economic factor.

Actually, though, given the high-crime areas that are nearby -- Belize City for example -- not to mention neighboring Guatemala and Honduras, crime in San Pedro is remarkably low. That's a tribute to the San Pedranos who keep an eye out for the bad eggs who come on the island.

No, I don't live on Ambergris. Maybe some of residents will pipe up. But, again, "the less said about crime tbe better" is the natural and very understandable view of anyone who sells hotel space, real estate, tours, or whatever, to visitors.

--Lan Sluder

thanks Lan....we sent in a email to get a subscription to Belize First Magazine...can't wait to get it!! C&R

He was sentanced to death by hanging, but the sentance was overturned by the Privvy Concil in England saying the poor guy was stressed out because he has spent more than 5 yrs on death row and that's cruel and unhuman punishment.

The man who killed Raleighs Anna Lightfoot escaped for the second time and still hasn't been recaptured. So if a guy named Esthephan Sho asks you for a ride, just say no.

Katie Valk
Maya Travel Services

Incredible isn't it? One more time, if justice had been swift enough it would have been truely served. I don't want to start a thread of argument on capital punisment, but it seems he was fairly tried and convicted. The Reily family certainly never received any justice here. True, the prison is a horrible place, but so are the people who chose the path that sent them there in the first place.

ditto

OK, I haven't been on here in a good long while but when I saw the story about Anne, I
had to jump in...I remember this murder well,
though I didn't know her, she was good friends with Woody and Helen...they had gone to dinner and get a few drinks...I don't recall it had been very late at all but were taking the beach route back to the house...about where the Island Academy is is where he jumped them...for about $20 and threw them into the water...the next day he was found rather quickly something to do with
sandy shoes in a local hotel room...anyway the point is yes, being on death row is a bad thing and apparently at this prison, worse than bad(inhumane they said??), yet, they are choosing to leave him there instead of death??? I don't get that at all...especially
with what was said about escaping...not a good thing....and again, I personally think it sends a message that one can "get away with murder"...sad.