Guatemalan National Remanded After Woman Left Critically Injured in Ladyville

A 29-year-old Guatemalan national has been remanded to the Belize Central Prison after he was charged in connection with a violent domestic dispute in Ladyville that left his common-law wife hospitalized in critical condition. Marbin Yonel Ical, a construction worker of the Lake Garden area, appeared in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where he was arraigned on charges of attempted murder, dangerous harm and use of deadly means of harm. No plea was taken because the offences are indictable, and bail was denied. He has been remanded until August 26.  Police say that shortly after eleven o’clock on Sunday morning, officers responded to a 911 report of an unresponsive woman at a home in the Lake Garden area. At the house, police reportedly met Ical, who told them that he and his wife had been fighting and that he had struck her with a broom.  Inside the home, officers found 29-year-old Deysi Yamilex Graham Garcia unresponsive. Police say she had visible swelling and bruising to her face and neck, injuries to her head, back, stomach and hand, and a missing tooth. She was transported by ambulance to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where she remains in critical condition.  Investigators later processed the scene and recovered a broken broomstick and a piece of plywood, which were labeled as exhibits. Police also collected clothing from Ical after observing what appeared to be bloodstains on his shorts; the items are to be submitted for DNA analysis.  The matter remains under investigation by the Gender Violence Responsive Investigative Unit.