Former Accused Murderer Now Facing Deportation

Just days after walking free from a murder charge that had kept him on remand for more than five years, Honduran national Angel Adolfo Garcia Alvarez is now facing deportation from Belize. The 23-year-old appeared before the Belize City Magistrate’s Court this week, where he was deemed a prohibited immigrant under the Immigration Act. The court subsequently granted an application by the Immigration Department for his removal from the country.  On Monday, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions entered a nolle prosequi in the murder case against him. The move effectively discontinued the trial after certain evidence that police had intended to use against him was ruled inadmissible.  Alvarez had been jointly charged with Santos Zepeda for the 2020 murder of 59-year-old Rosa Chinchilla, whose body was discovered inside her Lindo’s Alley home in Belize City on August 17 that year.  With the murder proceedings against Alvarez coming to an abrupt ending, he was then handed over to immigration authorities, who initiated the removal proceedings against him. According to immigration officials, Alvarez entered Belize illegally on July second, 2019. The department, however, opted not to pursue a monetary penalty and instead requested that the court authorize Alvarez’s removal from Belize. Alvarez remains at the Belize Central Prison pending the completion of arrangements for his deportation to Honduras.  As for Zepeda, his murder trial continues before Justice Nigel Pilgrim in the High Court.  It is of note that Alvarez and his co-accused, Santos Zepeda, were among inmates who escaped from lawful custody in 2025 before being recaptured a short time later.