Woman Charged With Manslaughter in Fatal Pickstock Stabbing

Fifty-year-old Arlene Tanice Arnold has been charged with manslaughter following the stabbing death of her common-law husband, forty-five-year-old Jeremy Hendricks, also known as “Clive Tambran Hendricks.”  Arnold, a housekeeper of Pickstock Hutment in Belize City, appeared before a Senior Magistrate this afternoon. No plea was taken because the charge is an indictable offence. The prosecution objected to bail, citing concerns for Arnold’s safety and alleging that she left the scene following the incident. Her attorney, Ronnel Gonzalez, urged the court to grant bail, arguing that Arnold is employed and is the mother of six children, including two minors who depend on her.  The attorney further alleged that Arnold had been subjected to domestic abuse by Hendricks and that two previous reports had been made against him. He also claimed there was an active matter involving the couple before the Family Court.  According to the defence, Hendricks allegedly punched Arnold in the head and temple during a violent confrontation. The attorney told the court that witnesses reportedly saw the altercation and claimed Arnold reacted because she feared for her life.  After hearing submissions from both sides, the Senior Magistrate remanded Arnold to the Belize Central Prison pending further consideration of her bail application. The bail hearing is scheduled for two o’clock tomorrow afternoon at the Belize City Magistrates’ Court.  The charge arose from a fatal domestic dispute early Saturday morning. Police responded to Pickstock Street at approximately three-thirty-three, where they found Hendricks lying near the intersection with New Road and bleeding heavily from his right arm.  He was transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at four-forty-four that morning. Police say Hendricks sustained a single stab wound to his right tricep, allegedly inflicted with a broken pint bottle.  Investigators processed the scene and later located Arnold at an address in the Holy Emmanuel area of Belize City after being contacted by her daughter.  She was initially detained pending a murder investigation. However, after the case file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, she was charged with manslaughter.