Triple murder in Monkey River, suspect captured

_{Photo: (l-r) Eliana Garbutt, Elvis Garbutt, Sr., and Eliss Garbutt, deceased}

A gunman ambushed a family of five—killing three, and injuring one, while one escaped.

by Charles Gladden

TOLEDO DISTRICT, Mon. Dec. 16, 2024

On Saturday night, December 14, a gunman ambushed a family of five from Monkey River Village, Toledo District, and attempted to kill all of them. He succeeded in fatally wounding three of the family members and injuring another.

_{Photo: Curtis Molina, detained}

The attack took place around 8:30 p.m. that Saturday as the family was reportedly returning home from a night out in their Jeep Liberty. The gunman, 45-year-old Curtis Molina (Garbutt), a resident of the same village, fatally wounded 39-year-old Elvis Garbutt, Sr.; his wife, 30-year-old Eliana Garbutt; and their 3-year-old son, Ellis Garbutt., while the couple’s daughter, 11-year-old Emerita Garbutt, was injured but survived, and their 8-year-old son fled the scene.

According to reports, while the family was heading home they encountered an obstruction on the road; and when Elvis, Sr. stepped out of the vehicle, he was ambushed by Molina (a relative of his), who emerged from some nearby bushes and fatally shot him with a 16-gauge shotgun. Molina then turned the weapon towards Eliana, and fired shots that ended her life. He then took 3-year-old Ellis out of the vehicle and allegedly proceeded to beat him with an object until he died. Molina then fired a shot inside the vehicle in the direction of two children – Emerita and her brother, 8-year-old Elvis Garbutt, Jr. – who reportedly fled the scene.

When police arrived at the scene, they discovered the Jeep Liberty on a dead-end section of the Monkey River Road with its doors open. They also found Elvis Garbutt, Sr. lying face-down near the vehicle on the roadside, while his wife was in a slumped position in the passenger seat, and their toddler, Ellis lay face-down in some mud. The family’s dog was also killed in the shooting and was found in the back seat.

Emerita Garbutt, who alerted residents who lived nearby about the incident, was taken to the Southern Regional Hospital with injuries to her face and hand. As a result of her injuries, she lost two of her fingers. Her current condition is recovering. Meanwhile, Elvis Jr. escaped unharmed and reportedly ran three miles where he met up with a patrolling police mobile.

ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander for the Belize Police Department’s Eastern Division, confirmed to reporters that Molina’s violent act was part of a robbery attempt, since there are unconfirmed reports that he knew that Garbutt had withdrawn a large sum of money that he was going to use to purchase a skiff.

Less than an hour after the incident, police were able to capture Molina, who is a relative of Garbutt. ACP Romero noted that the shotgun used to kill the family was reported stolen some time ago, and it is believed that Molina had taken it after breaking into a residence.

He is considered a troublemaker and is known to police in the area, but has never been criminally charged. Molina has not yet been charged for the triple murder.