Missing murder suspect Tracy Betancourt cleared of murder charge

Published by BBNTEAM at December 27, 2023

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Posted: Wednesday, December 27, 2023. 11:22 am CST.

By Aaron Humes: A long-standing missing murder suspect has been found not guilty of the crime before High Court Justice Ricardo O’Neil Sandcroft.

26-year-old Tracy Betancourt was jointly charged with 38-year-old Leon Walford for the murder of American businessman Lamont Lipka at Tropicana Restaurant and Bar on Coconut Drive, San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, in March of 2018.

Lipka, 49, was shot multiple times; the incident was captured on surveillance camera. Walford was convicted and is serving a 47-year sentence, but Betancourt absconded on the day her verdict was originally to be handed down, July 28, 2022, and has not been seen or heard from since.

And while both Walford and Betancourt were seen and allegedly identified as being at the scene, the judge found that “Mere presence on a scene does not point to guilt of a person,” adding that there is little beyond the video footage tying Betancourt to either Walford or the murder of Lipka beyond a reasonable doubt.

Walford was caught directly approaching Lipka at the cash register and firing two shots at him, dropping him to the floor, then five more in the face before escaping into Coconut Drive. He tried to establish an alibi defense that he was in Belize City at the time but was not believed.

Betancourt was out on bail of $50,000 at the time of her abscondment and will still face a charge of escape from lawful custody when found. She was represented by then-defense counsel, now Attorney General Anthony Sylvester.

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