This morning Earl Baptist 20, was arraigned for the January 21st 2022 murder of Leslie Gillett aka “Dimes”, The businessman of Burrell Boom Village was shot dead at his convenience store Matilda Mini Mart.
By Anita Nembhard-Flowers
channel 1 Belize.com
Belize City, Mon. Mar. 14, 2022
After two of his employees were killed and no one was charged for their murder, two months later Gillett was also murdered, and tonight police say they have Dimes murderer.
He has been identify as 20-year-old, Earl Baptist, a resident of #6632 Police Street located in the Saint Martin de pores area, in Belize City.
Baptist was reportedly seen on a surveillance footage from the store’s security camera as one of two gunmen who went to the location and ambushed Gillett inside his store; in the surveillance footage ‘Baptist’ was positively identified by a police officer as one of the shooters.
Today at his arraignment he appeared. before Chief Magistrate, Sharon Fraser in Courtroom #1 where a single charge of murder was read to him.
Police allege that he was one of two men who intentionally and unlawfully caused the death of Leslie Gillett on January 21, 2022.
Due to the nature of the offense, Baptist was remanded into custody at the Belize Central Prison until May, 2022.
Gillett who was armed with his licensed 9mm pistol did not even get to pull out his firearm, much-less shoot back at his assailants. Gillett who is better known as “Dimes” was said to have been the intended target back in November 2021 when two other employees of Matilda’s Mini-Mart in Burrell Boom was shot and killed Inside the store.
On that fatal day in November 2021, the bodies of cashier, Kendra Miguel and handyman, Dennis Brown were found dead inside the same store.
Initial investigation revealed that on Friday 21st January, 2022, at about 5:25pm a group of male persons arrived at the shop in a vehicle, and according to police, in the surveillance footage, the men appeared to be regular customers, but when Gillet was walking towards the counter that was when one of the men pulled out a firearm and fired several shots at Mr. Gillett causing his fatal injuries.