Belize murder charge dropped after eight months in custody

Prosecutors withdrew the case against 23-year-old Jamal Brackett citing insufficient evidence, ending proceedings just as a preliminary inquiry was due to begin.

16th of January 2026

Belize: Twenty three (23) year old Jamal Brackett left the Belize City Magistrate’s Court with dropped charges by the prosecution due to lack of sufficient evidence in the case of the death of Carlos Enriquez Avelar on Monday morning, January 12, 2026. Brackett was detained for eight months before his court hearing.

Brackett, who is from the Mayflower Street area, appeared before the court shortly after 9:00 am. He was represented by attorney Ronell Gonzalez. The Director of Public Prosecutions’ office issued a memorandum instructing the court to formally withdraw the charge against him.

The decision followed Brackett’s last court appearance on Wednesday, December 31, 2025. On that day, he received full disclosure in the case, which included 35 pages of documents and four DVDs. The case had been adjourned for a Preliminary Inquiry which was scheduled for Monday, January 12, 2026, but did not take place.

Brackett initially appeared before the court on Monday, May 19, 2025. He was charged for the death of 61-year old Carlos Enriquez Avelar, a Belizean mason from the Belama area. Avelar was fatally shot on Labour Day, May 1, 2025. The incident took place at the intersection of Coney Drive and Sunrise Avenue on the north side of Belize City.

Police reported that around 8:15 pm, officers from the Crimes Investigation Branch Northside responded to reports of gunfire at Coney Drive. Upon arrival, they found Avelar on the road not moving with multiple gunshot wounds.

During the investigation, it was found out that Avelar was walking on Coney Drive when suddenly two men approached him on a motorcycle. One of the men opened fire and immediately left the scene and went towards Sunrise Avenue.

The scene was investigated by a Scenes of Crime Technician, who found and collected expended shells and blood samples. Avelar was pronounced dead at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital at 9:29 pm.

Video footage of Brackett leaving the courthouse as a free man has been going viral on social media. He and his attorney had a brief press appearance upon his release after being a few months in custody.