Three former San Pedro Police officers, Romelio Logan, 28, Reydel Teck, 27, and Jashimir Cobb, 27, were sent back to the Belize Central Prison to serve eight years and 11 months in jail for the death of islander Edwin Ixpatac in May 2016. The trio was informed of this decision following their sentence hearing on Wednesday, April 19, at the Belize City Supreme Court.
The former cops were previously found guilty of causing Ixpatac’s death in October 2022 by Justice Ricardo O’Neil Sandcroft. As per the court report on Wednesday, they were sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, the judge subtracted five years for their social inquiry report and relatively young ages. In addition, there was a further reduction for the 13 months they spent on remand. Thus, they will spend under nine years at the central prison.
The cops were reportedly expecting a non-custodial sentence, which is an alternative to a prison sentence and could be settled with a fine. However, Sandcroft told the convicted men that he could not give them a non-custodial sentence because the evidence presented in the trial was unsettling, and the cops failed in their duty of care.
The Ixpatac family briefly shared that they were disappointed with the sentencing. They believe that justice did not prevail. They say it is unfair what happened to their relative, who was ill-treated and senselessly beaten while in police custody.
Edwin Ixpatac died on March 7, 2016, at 30 years old, after being on life support at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) in Belize City. According to an official report, he sustained severe injuries while in police custody four days before his death. The police report indicated that around 2AM on March 3, San Pedro police responded to a call about a person struggling in the water near a resort just south of San Pedro Town. Police reported that they helped Ixpatac get out of the water, who appeared intoxicated and had injuries from washing against a sea wall.
The report continued saying that Ixpatac was combative and kicked and struck the officers assisting him. As a result, he was taken to the San Pedro Police Station, where he was detained overnight. While in a cell block, Ixpatac was reportedly viciously beaten by the accused former police officers. Days after, he succumbed to his injuries at the KHMH in Belize City.
