San Pedro Resident Charged with Manslaughter in Connection with Wife’s Death

Forty-one-year-old San Pedro resident Maynor Ancona is out on bail tonight after being charged in connection with the death of his wife American national 46-year-old Jennifer Lynn Griffith. Ancona appeared in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court today, represented by attorney Orson Elrington. He was charged with one count of manslaughter by negligence, one count of disorderly conduct for an unlawful fight; two counts of harm, and one count of wounding. He was granted bail for ten thousand dollars plus two sureties of five thousand dollars each, which he met. Outside the courtroom, Elrington said that his client is trying to cope with the death of his wife and the additional stress of being charged for it.

Ancona is due back in the San Pedro Magistrate’s Court on June 19. On April 6 the couple crashed their golf cart into an establishment in San Pedro, which sparked a brawl with the staff. It was during that exchange that conch shells were thrown and one of them hit Griffith in the head, causing a fracture. She was rushed to the hospital the following day but was pronounced dead on arrival. On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, a post-mortem examination was conducted on Griffith by Doctor Roque Blanco who certified her cause of death to be head trauma due to being hit in the head with a conch shell.