Nestor Vasquez Case Renews Scrutiny of Belize’s Mental Health System

The sentencing of Colin Francis today has again put Belize’s mental-health system under the spotlight.  But for Nestor’s brother, journalist Jules Vasquez, this case is about more than the sentence. He says it shows that Belize still does not have a proper system to treat and monitor people with severe mental illness, especially when they may be a danger to themselves or someone else.

Jules Vasquez, Brother of Nestor Vasquez: “Mr. Francis tried to kill two people in June of 2019. He killed one, but I do not want another family to have to go through that. I do not believe we have the healthcare infrastructure to take care of somebody who is mentally ill and violent. And the court said that the social inquiry report found that his family did not have the ability to do it. His mother is of age, as is his father. He’s a young man and when he committed these crimes in June of 2019, he had been off his meds for a long time. So I believe that because of this, if he’s on his meds, clearly as the court has said he’s been doing well in prison because he’s on his meds and he doesn’t have access to marijuana which the judge said is a trigger but I am not convinced that he has the family infrastructure and I know the system does not have the medical infrastructure to take care to make sure that someone who can can kill when they are under these hallucinations, someone who can kill, can receive their medication appropriately. Neither his family nor the system has the ability to ensure this.”

Francis was declared unfit to plead in February 2024 but was medically assessed as fit for trial in June 2026. Justice Pilgrim criticized prison authorities for failing to comply with an order requiring Francis to be psychiatrically evaluated every six months. At least four assessments should have been conducted, but none was provided before the latest evaluation.  The judge ruled that the failure should not disadvantage Francis, as earlier assessments may have determined that he was fit to enter his guilty pleas sooner.