Man Charged After Hattieville Cemetery Tomb Disturbed, Granted Bail Pending Psychiatric Evaluation

A 33-year-old man accused of disturbing a grave at the Hattieville Cemetery earlier this week appeared before the Belize City Magistrate’s Court today, where concerns about his mental health led the court to order a psychiatric evaluation before the case can proceed. Jonathan Abner Flores, an unemployed resident of Mile 15 on the George Price Highway, was escorted to court shortly after 9:00 a.m. to face two criminal charges: Harm of a Dead Body and Disinterment of a Body.  Police say the charges stem from a disturbing incident discovered on Sunday morning at the Hattieville Cemetery, when officers received information around 8:30 a.m. that a tomb had been broken into. When police visited the cemetery, they observed that the back portion of an unpainted concrete tomb had been damaged, raising concerns that the grave had been unlawfully opened.  The tomb contained the body of 63-year-old Valeria McKay of Dollar Bank Road, who had been buried just one day earlier after passing away at her home on February 20. Investigations revealed that McKay had been laid to rest by family members with the assistance of Paulino’s Funeral Home, and that her body had been sealed inside a cement structure tomb.  Family members were later alerted that the tomb had been broken open and that there were indications the body had been tampered with. McKay’s remains were subsequently taken to the Medical College of Belize for further examination before being laid to rest once again.  When Flores appeared in court today, the charges were read to him, but no plea could be taken after the sitting Senior Magistrate raised concerns about his mental state.  During the proceedings, a relative who attended court indicated that the family believes Flores requires medical attention and told the magistrate that they intend to take him to a private doctor for evaluation.  The magistrate subsequently ordered that Flores undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine his fitness to stand trial. However, the court noted that the offences before it are bailable, and therefore Flores could not be remanded solely for the purpose of obtaining the evaluation.  The magistrate encouraged the family to arrange the assessment privately, explaining that obtaining such an evaluation while the accused is on remand could take considerable time.  During the hearing, Flores had several loud outbursts while his relative was addressing the court. At one point he shouted that he did not want to go to jail because he could not handle prison and expressed fear about being placed in a cell with someone he could not trust.  Despite the disruption, the court proceeded with the matter and granted Flores bail in the sum of $1,500. His case has been adjourned until May 4, by which time the psychiatric report is expected to be submitted.  By midday today, no one had appeared to post bail for Flores, and he was subsequently escorted to the Belize Central Prison, where he will remain until the bail conditions are met.