Man to Stand Trial for Cemetery Stabbing Attempted Murder

Thirty-seven-year-old Mark Stevens, a Belize City man with no fixed address, has been committed to stand trial in the High Court for the attempted murder of Juan Carlos Reyes Pineda. The trial is set for the October 7 session of the High Court Central Sitting. Stevens, who has been on remand since June 2024, appeared before the Belize City Magistrate’s Court today, where his Preliminary Inquiry (PI) concluded with a paper committal. He faces three charges which are attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm, and dangerous harm. The case stems from a violent stabbing that occurred on June 8, 2024, when the accused allegedly attacked Pineda while he was walking his dog through Lord Ridge Cemetery. According to police, Pineda, a 31-year-old Honduran national and call center agent, identified Stevens as his attacker, a man he knew and recognized during the ambush. Despite trying to escape by running toward his home on Partridge Street Extension, Pineda was reportedly pursued and stabbed multiple times with a shiny, wooden-handled kitchen knife. His landlord, Miguel Alamina, witnessed the incident and attempted to intervene, but was unable to stop the assault. After the attack, Stevens fled the scene through the cemetery. A police investigation led officers to recover critical evidence, including a blue long-sleeved shirt believed to belong to the accused and the alleged weapon found in a separate area of the burial ground. In court today, the prosecution submitted over 15 witness statements and 10 documentary exhibits, which will be used in the upcoming trial. The presiding Senior Magistrate informed Stevens of his right to provide an alibi and any potential witnesses in writing within a week. Stevens indicated he currently has no alibi witnesses. He was again offered bail of $8,000, with the option of one surety or two sureties of $4,000 each but remains in custody as he has been unable to meet the bail conditions since his initial arraignment on June 11, 2024.