DPP Withdraws Charges, Frees Woman After Two Months

Criminal charges against 26-year-old Erynn Alijah Bellezaire have been withdrawn on the instruction of the Director of Public Prosecutions, freeing her after spending two months and two days on remand at the Belize Central Prison. The DPP’s directive came after the virtual complainant made a further statement requesting no court action.  Bellezaire appeared today before Magistrate Mannon Dennison where all charges, including attempted murder, dangerous harm, and use of deadly means of harm, were formally withdrawn. Her attorney, Orson “OJ” Elrington, was present when the magistrate read the DPP’s memorandum ordering the withdrawal.  Elrington told Love News he had been preparing to file a second bail application in the High Court within the next month, after bail was previously denied on October 10 by Justice Nigel Pilgrim. The judge then ruled that Bellezaire had shown no special reasons for bail, despite evidence that the complainant had already expressed a desire for no further prosecution.

Bellezaire, a mother, was first charged on April 14, for the alleged stabbing of Chelsey Lewis, who suffered multiple injuries after an early-morning altercation near Digi Park on April 11. Police investigations indicated that both women had been socializing at a nightclub before an argument escalated into a fight in the park.  Her charges were upgraded to attempted murder in September, leading to repeated bail denials and her subsequent remand to prison. With today’s withdrawal, Bellezaire is free and reunited with her child.