Canadian-American couple found dead in Belize!

[Belizeans.com]

Ch 7 Belize:
Canadian-American Couple Found Dead In Corozal Canefield

From Wednesday night we've been reporting on the missing couple: 52 year old Canadian Francesca Matus and 36 year old American DREW Thomas De Voursey - and yesterday evening, six days after they ere last seen, the worst fears were confirmed when they were found dead. Their bodies were found in an advanced state of decomposition about six and half miles from the center of Corozal Town where they were last seen alive. Jules Vasquez has the story:...
Courtney Weatherburne reporting
Police kept an armed guard over the sugar road where the body was found. And when we tried to go close they told us it was off limits.

On Monday at around 4:00 a cane cutter found the bodies of Canadian Francesca Matus and American Drew Devoursney piled on top of each other.

About 150 feet down this road in Chan Chen village which is less than a mile from the Belize Mexico border:

Reporter
"Who discovered the bodies?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding - Corozal
"It was a farmer. I believe that they would have burnt that field, but they were walking around the field to see that the fire pass and everything was made and that's when they made that discovery."

"Police had went to that area, it's about a mile and a half on the main road and a mile in a feeder road in a cane field. We have seen the 2 bodies. The male is partially on top of the female. The Scenes of Crimes were called in, the scene was processed. The bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition where the doctors was called in and the autopsy was done on site."

"Upon conclusion of the autopsy, the doctors conclude that the cause of death was massive strangulation."

Additionally duct tape was found on both their hands - they had been bound with it.

The vehicle was found on Sunday. It had also been hidden deep down a sugar road about 6 miles away from the bodies in Paraiso village, which is just outside Corozal Town.

The couple was last seen in that vehicle when they left this bar in Corozal Town on Tuesday night at around 11:00.

It's a popular hangout for expatriates and the owner, Colin McGowan who asked to appear off camera told us everything seemed normal:

Voice of: Colin McGowan, Owner - Scotty's Bar
"They were here last Tuesday, I was in the bar as well. Happy, content they left together. There were no problems."

But something went very wrong after that and police have one suspect, and a possible motive:

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"Is that person in custody?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding - Corozal
"So far, yes."

Reporter
"Is he a local?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding - Corozal
"I rather not say."

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"Is there any indication that theft was a motive? Was anything missing from the vehicle or from the individuals?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding - Corozal
"What I could say is that the female had on her jewelry, but to say that theft was a motive, we cannot say at this point."

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"Are you able to say if the suspects may have had some familiarity that these people were no on their guard then, because taking down a 6ft, 6in marine and strangled him, it wouldn't appear to be a quite easy thing. It would need a large or a significant number of people to do that."

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding - Corozal
"At this point the investigation is still in its infancy stage and we are looking on that angle also. At this point we cannot say."

Reporter
"We know that from our investigation also that Francesca also dealt in real-estate also. Are you guys looking at that angle that she may have been some land transaction gone wrong and somebody taking revenge? Is that something that you guys are looking into?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding - Corozal
"We are looking at all angles right now."

Reporter
"The person in custody, how long have you been questioning that person for?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding - Corozal
"Just about 2 hours the most. We detained him today. We are looking at some threats that was made. That's all to it so far."

Reporter
"Which one of them?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding - Corozal
"The female. That's all to it so far."

Reporter
"Can you say how recent those threats were made?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding - Corozal
"No I can't say."

Reporter
"Did she reported it?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding - Corozal
"No."

Reporter
"Threats against her life?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding - Corozal
"No. Just open threats. I believe if a report of such of reported of that threat to Miss Francesca, maybe she would still be alive today. And I believe that members in the community, their community, knows exactly what was happening."

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"Would there be some measure of relief if it is an expatriate thing - or a foreign thing?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding - Corozal
"Well I believe it would be to know that it's not one of our own commits such a gruesome crime."

Colin McGowan says that would be very surprising to him because he didn't know them to have enemies:

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"Would it be very surprising to you if it was something that was orchestrated within the "expat" community?"

Colin McGowan, Owner - Scotty's Bar
"First of all I would say that's speculation and I wouldn't speculate on anything. If it was I would be very surprised. They were both very well liked throughout the whole community. So it hit people hard."

McGowan says the "expat" community sees it as isolated:

Colin McGowan, Owner - Scotty's Bar
"Something like this happens all over the world. Corozal is a beautiful town, very friendly town. So it hasn't shaken my sense of security, it's made me a little more cautious."

A memorial service for Francesca Matus - who lived in Corozal for 4 years - will be held on Thursday in Corozal Town. Their families were expected to arrive today. To accommodate them, police kept the bodies on site as they were found so that the families could see them. Drew Thomas De Voursey had been in Belize for about 6 months, and reportedly did own land here. Their cell phones were not found and the battery had been stolen from the vehicle.

 

[Belizeans.com]

Tonight, there is a somewhat surprising new development to report in the case of the North American couple murdered in Corozal. First, we can confirm that the single male suspect who police had detained is a Canadian. And, second, he will be charged tomorrow. But it's not a murder charge - in fact, it's not for any crime in Corozal. This suspect will be taken to Placencia where he will be charged for an unrelated burglary. We're still working on getting details on that alleged crime, but after he is arraigned on that charge, he will then be taken back to Corozal where he will be questioned further on the murder of 52 year old Canadian Francesca Matus and 36 year old American Drew Thomas De Voursey. As we understand it so far, he is not cooperating with police. Sketchy information to 7News suggests that the couple may have been targeted for murder by persons familiar to them, possibly in a land dispute. Police believe that more than one person was involved in the murder. A post mortem determined that they were both strangled and then taken to a remote sugar road in Chan Chen where the killer or killers dumped their bodies. A cane farmer who was about to burn the field found them on Monday evening in an advanced state of decomposition. Francesca's vehicle, a 2003 Isuzu Rodeo was found 6 miles away in Paraiso village.

Yesterday, the Corozal commander alluded to the possibility that the murder was carried out by someone familiar with the couple:

Jules Vasquez
"Are there any suspects?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding - Corozal
"We have one person we believe can assist us in our investigation."

Jules Vasquez
"Is that person in custody?"


Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold
"So far yes."

Reporter
"Is he a local?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold
"I rather not day."

Jules Vasquez
"Often times these crimes may involve someone with some familiarity or intimacy because he's an ex-marine, according to his physical description, 6 foot 6 if I'm not mistaken. It's not someone lightly taken on. Are you able to say if the suspect may have had some familiarity that these people were not on their guard? Because taking down a 6 foot 6 marine and strangling him, it wouldn't appear to be a quite easy thing, you'd need a very large or a significant number of people to do that."

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold
"At this point the investigation is still in its infancy stage and we are looking on that angle also. At this point we cannot say."

Reporter
"So why have one person detained if you believe that there may have been more than one persons involved?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold
"Could have been."

Reporter
"We know that from our investigation that Francesca also dealt in real estate also. Is this a possible - are you guys looking at that angle that it may have been some land transaction gone wrong and somebody taking revenge. Is that something that you guys are contemplating?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold
"We are looking on all angles right now. We are looking at some threats that were made, that's all to it so far."

Reporter
"Which one of them sir?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold
"The female, that's all to it so far."

Reporter
"Can you say how recent those threats may have been made?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold
"I can't say."

Reporter
"Did she report it?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold
"No."

Reporter
"Threats against her life?"

Sr. Supt. Dennis Arnold
"Just open threats and I believe that members in the community, their community knows exactly what was happening."

We'll keep following the story very closely. A memorial service will be held for Francesca Matus in Corozal tomorrow. She had lived there in the Consejo Shores area for about 6 years. She was headed for her home in Consejo on the night she was killed - but it appears she never reached. All her possessions in the home appear to be intact, while Drew Thomas's cycle was in the driveway.

 

[belizean]

Canadian John Deshaies, Charged For Theft, Denies Involvement In Double Murder
posted (May 5, 2017)
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John Deshaies, he's the Canadian man in police custody who we've been telling you about since Wednesday. We can report his name now, because he's been remanded to prison on a theft charge. He also remains a murder suspect in the investigation into the double murder of Francesca Matus and Drew Devoursey. Matus was his landlord - and today we asked him what he knows about the murder. Here's Courtney Weatherburne's report on that and his arraignment for theft in Independence Village:...
Courtney Weatherburne reporting
The piercing grief following the chilling murders of Francesca Matus and her boyfriend Drew Thomas De Voursey is reflected in these Facebook posts. Matus' family and friends in Canada have been posting their favorite memories of her and sharing warm messages on her page.

Trying to block out the reality of their killing: Matus and De Voursey were strangled to death. Their bodies were found on the Chan Chen Road in Corozal on Monday. Their vehicle was found a day earlier on a sugar road 6 miles away from their bodies. It came as a shock to their friends in the Corozal Expat Community because they couldn't think of anyone in their circle who would want Matus and De Voursey dead. Here is what Colin Mcgowen had to say when we asked if this was an attack from within their own community.

Colin McGowen, Owner Scotty's Bar
"I wouldn't speculate on anything. If it was I would be very surprised. They were both very well liked throughout the whole community. So it hit people hard."

It hit people even harder when Police named Canadian John Deshaies as a prime suspect in the double murder.

What is even more troubling is that Deshaies rented the downstairs of Matus' Consejo Shores home in Corozal.

But Deshaies remains as just a suspect in that case at this point. Today in Independence he was charged for theft and handling stolen goods in an unrelated case. He allegedly took over $57,000 worth of items from the Placencia casino: hard drives, laptops, machine gaming systems among many other pieces of equipment. The information is that police took him to Corozal yesterday to retrieve some of the items. Now police have been following this theft case since March and the report is that Deshaies was hired by one of the shareholders of the Casino to remove all these devices and gaming machines. But after his arraignment, he told the media that he doesn't agree with the charges and he was just doing his job

Courtney Weatherburne, 7News
"How about the theft, the charges, what you have to say in response to that?"

John Deshais, Charged for Theft and Handling Stolen Goods
"It don't matter. This was me doing my job."

Reporter
"So you believe you were wrongly accused?"

John Deshais, Charged for Theft and Handling Stolen Goods
"Absolutely."

But the theft and handling stolen goods charges are just one part of today's court session. As was said, Deshaies is a prime suspect in Matus' and De Voursey's murder. But he told us he had nothing to do with it:

Courtney Weatherburne, 7News
"Were you involved in the murder of your landlord Francesca Matus?"

John Deshais, Charged for Theft and Handling Stolen Goods
"Not at all. She is very good friend of mine. Absolutely not."

While he maintains his innocence, it still doesn't bring the families of Matus and De Voursey any closure and the police still have to develop a case and gather evidence to move on with the double murder investigation.

Now, Belize police will have help from a team of North American forensic investigators. They arrived at the Corozal police station today and in this footage you can see them collecting evidence from various vehicles that have been brought into the police compound.

Police have told us they hope to continue questioning Deshaies about the murder. He was remanded until November and intends to apply for bail at the first opportunity. Deshaies is a contractor who has been living in Corozal for about three years.

 

[belizean]

Deshaies Gets Bail, Answers Questions About Murder
posted (May 12, 2017)
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After 10 days in police custody, Canadian John Deshaies was finally allowed to go home today after he was released on Supreme Court bail.
Corozal police picked him up on May second for questioning about the double murder of Canadian Francesca Matus and American Drew DeVoursney. But while being investigated, Placencia police charged him with theft of equipment from the Placencia Casino. The sitting magistrate in Independence Village remanded him to the Belize Central Prison, but instead of going there, he was taken back to the Corozal police station for further interrogation into the double murder. He was also interviewed by FBI agents who flew down to assist the Belize police.

There were talks that as soon as his bail was processed, police intended to detain him once again for more questioning, but best information to his attorneys is that he was allowed to go home. But before he went home, we got an interview with Deshaies. We asked him about the theft charge, and about being treated as a suspect in the double murder that has been making global headlines for 2 weeks now. Here's what he had to say:

John Deshaies, On bail for Theft
"This was a false charge in the first place and I got bail set today and I am free now. But it will all come out in court that it was all false. It was a business related thing. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Francesca was a beautiful friend of mine. We lived together there for 2 years in the house. It was her house, she lived upstairs, I lived downstairs and she is one of the most beautiful people you'd ever meet. We've always been good friends and there is absolutely nothing that I've ever done to hurt her. I am assuming I was accused because I live in the same house, but otherwise there is nothing that ever happened between us to make anybody think that. Any of our friends would never think that."

Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"There are reports suggesting that you guys had some sort of quarrel or a fight, some sort of disagreement a few hours before she went missing."

John Deshaies, On bail for Theft
"The only person who would say something like that would be the neighbor who lives across the street and he would have done that just because we've had an ongoing issue, but there is absolutely never a harsh word between Francesca and myself. We never had a problem and everybody knows that, like all the people that we hang out with - everybody that knows me and knows her, my whole family, my kids in Canada - like she would see them in Canada, everybody knows that we never had a problem. There was never an issue."

"I had full negotiations with the FBI. I've gone over everything. They've got all the information. They've taken my DNA, they've checked my vehicles, they've check the entire house. To get me investigated, I don't mind giving some time or whatever, but I think that I have been investigated. I've given all the information. Everybody knows where I was and what I was doing. There is absolutely no reason for them to carry on with me personally. I think to move forward as them going on with this, I think it would be seriously a constitutional situation that I would have to take in hand, but I don't have any problem with being detained, I don't have any problem with them asking me questions on that. The thing is you have to get everybody as a suspect figured out where they were what they did. That has to happen. It would be an injustice for me not to do that knowing that Francesca's killers or killer whoever did this is still missing."

So, we turn now to the bail hearing itself. His attorneys, Richard "Dickie" Bradley and Kevin Arthurs, went before Justice Antoinette Moore to request bail. After hearing from the Crown Counsel Jackie Willloughby, Justice Moore decided that he should be granted bail of $20,000 with the conditions that he must sign in at Corozal Police station every Friday, and he is not to interfere with any of the complainants or witnesses. He also must not be rearrested on any other crimes while he on bail, and he must surrender his Canadian passport.

After the hearing, his attorneys told us outside of court that they believe that he will be acquitted of this charge:

Richard "Dickie" Bradley, Attorney for John Deshaies
"As you would know Mr. Deshaies' name has been all over the world. The American and Canadian media has been in constant touch with Kevin Arthurs and Steven Perrera in relation to this matter. I see he calls right now on my phone. Because some reason they have put out his name that he is a suspect in the double murder of two foreigners; one American, one Canadian. Mr. Deshaies told me that he was extensively interviewed by officers claiming to be member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from the United States, who asked and he corporate and gave a blood sample and other information. He completely corporate with the FBI officers and Kevin is of the considered view and has further information to support that, that the charged levied against Mr. John Deshaies in relation to some bogus theft in Placencia - that will completely fall apart, but that there was no need for his freedom to have been taken away."

"This morning, his Belizean common-law-wife at our request brought clothes for him because from the time he was detained in Corozal, he has not been given a shower, he is not been allowed to change his clothes, they refused to take clothes for him to change his clothes. That is no way to treat anybody. But at the end of the day, the good news is that he will not be seeing the inside of Her Majesty's Prison at least for today and hopefully the weekend."

"You know the system, they may want to go and grab him again and hold him, but there was no objection to him applying for bail on a matter of a theft, which let me say this for the records, he was merely on behalf of the owners of those things, keeping a watchful eye to see that they were secured. He didn't steal any of those items."

John Deshaies was Francesca Matus's tenant; he lives down in the downstairs flat of her house in Consejo Shores, Corozal. She lived in the upstairs flat.

 

[Mosquitorose]

Aye!! always something.,..

 

[margaret]

The problem with our white friends is that they come to our country and are too trusting of anyone. Some hook up with the wrong people and you know what happens then....

 

[The Empress]

Hi Maggie! How are you?