Joseph Budna Challenges Police Commissioner’s Version of Teen’s Murder

Last night, Joseph Budna went public on a local newscast, and rejected the Police Commissioner’s version of events surrounding the murder of a minor, who was found in his bedroom. On Sunday night, 16-year-old, Kelvin Hernandez, whom Budna says he only knew as “Kevin”, lost his life while the two were inside Budna’s home on Branch Mouth Road, San Ignacio Town. The Commissioner stated on Monday that Budna reported that he and the minor were in bed listening to music when someone came shooting at Budna’s house.  The Commissioner went further by explaining the claims made by Budna who suspects that the shooter may have been someone he had sexually rejected due to the high cost.  Budna is now calling the Commissioner a liar, adding that he shouldn’t have focused on his personal life, but on the murder of the minor. Commissioner responded to Budna and explained that the convict’s personal life may have been the reason Hernandez was killed.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police: “The first thing that came to my mind was crocodile. In listening to the interview, Jules asked him some very good questions. And so every time Jules asked him the question, he tried to shun it away and focus on something else. But whatever I had said to the media in my interviews in respect to that matter were things that Budna personally told the investigators. The fact that he was in the room on the bed with the minor, listening to mellow music those were his words to the investigators. The fact that someone had requested to have sex with him for a large sum of money and he declined because he said don’t have that money, those were his words. But when Jules asked him last night he did everything he could have to avoid those questions. And he went on to say that those have nothing to do with the death of the minor and we seem not to be interested in investigating the murder, but rather are interested in his personal lifestyle. Everything the police has done and is doing in respect to that murder is being done with a view to get to the bottom of it. If it is that there is a person who had requested sex from Burna for a sum of money and that person was upset we need to know who that person is because that could be the possible gunman. And most importantly, we need to do what must be done to ensure that another minor do not end up in Budna’s bed and get killed that’s very, very important. And so I don’t ascribe to his comments that we are not interested in investigating the murder because we’re doing all we can.”

In his media appearance, Budna claimed that the minor arrived at his home after he was kicked out by a man he was living with, but the Commissioner says that’s a lie. Williams further explained that the minor’s family said he left home that evening but didn’t say he was going to Budna’s home. 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police: “His family has been located we have spoken to the father and the father said that the child had left home I think saying that he was going to San Ignacio or somewhere but certainly not at Budna’s house. So how the child ended up at Budna’s house is another story but we know for a fact that this may be the tendency of Mr. Budna. If it is that he wants to engage in those activities then he must leave children out of it, focus on older persons, and do not get children caught up in his lifestyle. I don’t have nothing personal against him about what lifestyle he chose or his sexuality, but when children are brought into the fray I have a serious issue with it because I am a father and any person who is a parent would have the same concerns that I have as a father, and this is nothing personal against him, and I want him to understand that. We are hoping that he is going to assist as much as he can for us to be able to identify who the shooter is and bring that person to justice. That’s the very least he could do for that minor whose life he had cost.”

Budna is a known character in Belize and within the Police Department as he has been in the news on multiple occasions.  Back in August 2021, Budna was arraigned for two counts of sexual assault on a minor.  At the time of his arraignment, he was out on bail for similar charges with minors.  Our archives also show that in 2021, Budna had made it on the Crime Stoppers International Page as being wanted in the United States for a list of offences, including hostage taking, conspiracy to commit hostage taking, using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.