Will Noe Gonzalez take back guilty plea for murder of Ramon Cervantes Sr.?

By Aaron Humes: This evening our court reporter spoke to an attorney representing accused murderer Noe Gamaliel Gonzalez Avila, who on Tuesday in the Orange Walk Supreme Court pleaded guilty to a charge of murder in the July 2014 death of Ramon Cervantes Senior who was kidnapped and dumped in a shallow grave on the Honey Camp Road.

Co-accused Marco Pott and Angel Cardenas pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and counsel Norman Rodriguez said his client intended and offered such a plea as well, only to have it rejected by the Crown.

“He had the option to plead [guilty or not guilty] and after doing a consultation with me he opted to plead guilty to the crime of murder,” said Rodriguez, adding that they went over certain aspects of the case and discussed his options before deciding on the guilty plea, indeed a rare thing in this jurisdiction.

The trial was supposed to start with the reading of the indictment and plea before things took a turn.

But Rodriguez hinted that his client has the option to change his plea before sentencing, saying he would think it over and declining to discuss further details to ensure his client has a clean slate before he re-appears in court on March 28.

That is when presiding Justice Herbert Lord will hear mitigation pleas, the findings of a social inquiry report pertaining to the incarceration of Gonzalez and the others, and victim impact statements from Cervantes’ family and others.

It has been suggested that before Gonzalez gave his caution statement to police, certain promises were made and that this may influence his ultimate decision.

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