Abbie's Murder

Another primitive murder happened in the village. The tragedy was senseless and arose from the basest and most primitive emotions.

Abbimael Cordoba, was a rarity – he was a talented craftsman, he was productive, he was friendly, and honest. He was the nephew of Herman and Teresita. Abbie grew up in Orange Walk and showed an early talent for wood working.

Three years ago he was commissioned to help Herman build a storage building for Allen and Colleen. The storage building was so outstanding with mixed woods, fancy cut out air vents, eye-popping details, that Allen and Colleen soon made it the core of the home they had intended to build. Elliott and Diana wanted to remodel their kitchen in Belize City and Abbie created a mixed hardwoods surround of cabinets and counters. Down here hardwoods such as teak and mahogany are quite common. Mahogany is used for ordinary doors. Soon after Elliott’s job, Gary commissioned his kitchen and architectural details for his new house.

Abbie moved from Orange Walk to the village with his young wife and her 4 year old daughter, set up a first rate shop at Herman’s, and began to build his own house in the lot next to the ½ Acre Ranch.

I had an excess of nails, screws, hardware, etc. left over after my houses were built and put them in my ongoing yard sale. Abbie bought a whole pig bucket of unsorted hardware and a level.

A year ago Abbie’s wife suddenly became very ill. She had a high fever and abdominal pains and was taken to the San Ignacio hospital. She didn’t respond and was transferred to Belmopan. There were confusing and conflicting reports, which is not unusual. A lot is lost in the translations and I was told she was suffering everything from kidney failure to allergic reactions to the antibiotics. She was taken from Belmopan to Belize City and died within the week. Herman had the most accurate information, he told me she died from a womb infection.

Abbie had to take his little girl back to Orange Walk to stay with his parents. His wife was from Guatemala and no one knew who her parents were. Abbie’s parents love her dearly and she is in a good, stable home.

On Saturday morning he worked on his house. Even though he didn’t have his wife or daughter anymore, he had plans to continue to make a good life. He was healing from his grief and had even begun to date a village girl.

Saturday afternoon he went to San Ignacio with his cousin Banny. They are in their mid- twenties and it was time to have a little fun. The bus they caught home was full, but some village girls called out to them and scooted over in their seats to make room for Abbie. The girls across the aisle made room for Banny.

Three boys from the neighboring village, San Antonio, were drunk and started hooting and jeering, working themselves up to a jealous rage that Abby and Banny had girls giving them seats. The San Antonio boys were getting rude and belligerent and the bus driver told them he was going to stop the bus and throw them off if they didn’t quit the ruckus.

The bus arrived in our village, it was only 9:00, but the San Antonio boys were drunk and spoiling for a fight. Abby and Banny got off and the drunk threesome followed them. The San Antonio’s started fisticuffs with the fight moving to the little park with the bandstand. It was three against two. One of the trio picked up a beer bottle and hit Banny near the top of his head. He said he saw stars and his head was bleeding into his eyes.

Others were beginning to gather around the fight. Another cousin Ishmael was running down towards the fight when one of the San Antonio boys picked up a 2x4 and used it like a bat against the back of Abby’s head. Abby staggered, then dropped. He never re-gained consciousness.

Ishmael held down one of the thugs, by then the rest were restrained. Mike and Donna drove by about that time and saw “a boy standing by the road, bleeding from his head”, but they didn’t know what was happening and drove on.

I am assuming that Herman and Teresita drove Banny and Abbie to the hospital. I don’t know which one, but Banny was stitched up and was released the next day. Abbie was ultimately taken to Karl Huesner in Belize City where he was put on a ventilator.

Everyone was stirred up and affected. I didn’t participate, but I was told of all the comings and goings to the Belize City hospital. Herman was driving people, Gary drove the extended family.

After a week he was taken off the ventilator. Herman drove a coffin to Belize City and then to Orange Walk with his body. The funeral was held that Tuesday in Orange Walk.

It was Ron who told me he had passed on. We drove by Herman and Terisita’s, but their gates were locked up and the trucks were gone. We drove by Aurelio’s church where tacked on the door, was a large black trash bag shaped into a bow, cinched with spider lilies.

Within a few days the speculations begin. The San Antonians were sorry, they didn’t mean to kill him, they were drunk. A shop girl had kept her store open and had a view of the plaza. She was the girlfriend of one of the killers and told the police that her boyfriend was just standing there, Abbie and Banny started it.

The mother of one of the trio fainted. Marvin asked me if Abbie’s parents should hire a lawyer. The S.A’s had a lawyer, didn’t Abbie’s side need a lawyer? I said The State was the lawyer, but begin to think that the family might benefit from having outside counsel ride herd on the Prosecution.

Then the stealing began. The zinc roofing Abbie had bought for the house was gone; tools were disappearing; the pile of extra house block was gone. It was said that Abbie had a bank account and had told only one person the pin number and now the bank said there was no money in the account.

I’ve learned to cut this gossip in half and divide by two. There is sometimes one grain of fact in all that is repeated. It’s just awesome to witness. And it is at the speed of light.

But the fact that Abbie was killed during a drunken rage of testosterone and ignorance is just so very sad. There have been about 70 gang war shootings in Belize City this year, but the Police Commissioner said on the radio that at least the villages are quiet.

There is an undercurrent of barely restrained violence in the country. The pressure cooker of poverty blows its safety valve at a whim. Men are driving too fast on the bad roads, machete choppings, drive-by shootings catch innocents. Malicious thieving and poisoning pets is out of hand.

The corruption at the top is erupting in senseless deaths. Reporters and talk show hosts have been beaten and intimidated. The fighting over the scraps is vicious. Paychecks are drunk up on Saturday night and school fees aren’t paid.

Everybody is sad over Abbie’s death. He was such a hope that it would get better. His hopeful spark was smashed and it’s deflated a whole village.