Jury verdict closes high-profile saga of William “Danny” Mason – or does it?

Published by BBNTEAM at May 10, 2025

Posted: Saturday, May 10, 2025. 11:50 am CST.

By Aaron Humes: A nearly nine-year-old kidnapping case has come back into the spotlight as Belize’s court system continues to grapple with the shocking events involving a Mennonite couple and a notorious criminal figure.

The Incident and Background

Exactly 8 years, 11 months, and 22 days ago, Lloyd and Rosie Friessen of Belmopan were kidnapped from the home of infamously convicted criminal William “Danny” Mason. Mason, currently serving a life sentence for the gruesome murder of Pastor Llewellyn Lucas, was implicated in the frenzied kidnapping following a fraught business transaction that soured months earlier.

Court proceedings revealed that on May 31, 2016, the Friessens had gone to Mason’s Belmopan residence to retrieve a $300,000 loan Mason owed them, linked to a grain import deal from Argentina. Instead of their money, the couple ended up tied up, gagged, and forcibly taken to Mason’s Outback Ranch in Mahogany Heights, Belize District. They were kept in separate rooms, subjected to threats and blackmail.

Lloyd testified that Mason’s men detained them on orders that Mason later justified as “to teach them a lesson,” with the purpose not solely monetary but also to retaliate for a past business dispute and to intimidate those whom Mason branded as enemies.

The Court Trial and Revelations

The trial, held before Justice Nigel Pilgrim, saw testimony from multiple witnesses, including Lloyd and Rosie Friessen, Kieron Fernandez—an accomplice convicted of Pastor Lucas’s murder—and Mason’s co-accused Ryan Rhaburn.

Fernandez, whose testimony came after his conviction in the prior case, described Mason’s direct involvement, confirming Mason’s instructions to detain the couple and the armed men who carried out the kidnapping. Fernandez also implicated Mason’s role as a mastermind.

Rhaburn, Mason’s former ranch manager, testified that he was forced to witness the kidnapping under gunpoint and was told to stay silent. He claimed he was unaware of the kidnapping until he stumbled upon the scene that day.

Defense and the Trial’s Progress

Mason chose to remain silent during his defense, while Rhaburn denied participating in the kidnapping, claiming he was held at gunpoint and acted under duress. Defense attorneys Senior Counsel Simeon Sampson and Peter Taylor, argued that both men had been forced into their actions and that the accusations were fabricated.

During the trial, Ryan Rhaburn’s attempt to exonerate himself shocked the court when he testified that he was only present on the day of the kidnapping under coercion by armed men. His testimony was seen as an effort to distance himself from the crime, yet the jury, it appears, was skeptical, especially considering the evidence from the Crown and Fernandez’s testimony.

Conviction and Sentencing

The evidence presented linked Mason directly to the kidnapping, the prosecution contended, with the jury being cautioned repeatedly by Justice Pilgrim to evaluate the credibility of witnesses carefully, especially given Fernandez’s prior conviction and his plea bargain.

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