Canadian now charged in Belize casino heist

A Canadian who was questioned by police in Belize in relation to the deaths of a Canadian-American couple has been charged with handling stolen goods for an unrelated robbery offence.

The man was questioned at a police station in the southern resort town of Placencia, according to a police spokesperson, Raphael Martinez.

“We are looking at a different charge that is totally different from the murder charge,” Martinez said.

The charge is in connection to an alleged robbery of a Placencia casino, according to Martinez. The Canadian man was also released on bail and is no longer in police custody.

He was previously one of “several people” being questioned in the northern Belizean town of Corozal regarding the deaths of 52-year-old Canadian Francesca Matus and her boyfriend, 36-year-old Drew DeVoursney.

Police found their bodies in a sugar cane field Monday after the couple disappeared on April 25 after leaving a Corozal bar. DeVoursney’s body was found on top of Matus’s with their wrists duct-taped, and both were in an “advanced state of decomposition” after having been strangled to death, according to police.

But police have ruled out theft as a motive in their murder because Matus’s jewelry and DeVoursney’s wallet were found on their bodies, Martinez said.

He said the Canadian man charged is still considered a person of interest in relation to their deaths because the man knew the couple.

“He knew the couple and probably he associated with them,” Martinez said, adding it was unclear if he had seen Matus and DeVoursney the night they went missing.

“He’s not under custody of police anymore but he is still a person of interest and he can be re-arrested if they need him. The case is ongoing.”

Martinez said he didn’t expect police to lay charges in connection to their deaths on Friday.