Ladyville Man Remanded Nearly Three Years After 2023 Murder

A Ladyville man has been arraigned and remanded in connection with a 2023 murder that claimed the life of another young resident of the village.  Twenty-four-year-old John Carlos Quilter was formally charged with the murder of James Kelvin Bainton, who was fatally shot on May 4, 2023, at the Ladyville Sports Complex.  Quilter appeared this afternoon before Magistrate Mannon Dennison in Court #6 at the Belize City Magistrate’s Court. He was unrepresented and was read a single charge of murder. No plea was taken, and due to the seriousness of the offense, bail was denied. Quilter was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until March 16.  According to police, on the night of May 4, 2023, at about 10PM, officers responded to reports of a shooting in Ladyville. Upon arrival, they found a slim, fair-complexioned male with apparent gunshot wounds. He was transported to the Price Barracks Medical Center, where he later succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment.  Investigators say that earlier that night, around 9:45 p.m., Bainton, then 21, of Perez Road, Ladyville, had been at the sports complex with his brothers and others when a fight broke out with several men. After the altercation, Bainton and his brothers began walking toward Seagull Street when another individual approached from the basketball court area and fired a single shot, fatally wounding him.  Bainton was pronounced dead at 12:49 a.m. on Friday, May 5, 2023.  Police conducted interviews, recorded witness statements, and processed the crime scene. During the investigation, a witness reportedly identified Quilter as the individual who handed a firearm to another man, Tyler Smith, who then ran toward Bainton and fired the fatal shot. Smith is believed to have fled the country and is reportedly residing in the United States.  Earlier today, Quilter, an unemployed resident of Parakeet Street, Ladyville, was arrested and charged, nearly two years and eight months after the killing.