By Belize Live News Staff: More than three years after the New Year’s Eve massacre that shook Belmopan, former police corporal Elmer Nah has been sentenced to three concurrent life sentences for the murders of Jon, David, and Vivian Ramnarace. The Minister of Home Affairs says the outcome proves police work in the country is delivering results.
Justice Nigel Pilgrim handed down the sentence on Friday, ruling that Nah must serve at least 50 years before he becomes eligible for parole. By that point he would be 89 years old.
Nah was convicted on May 29 of the triple murder, in a case that hinged heavily on disputed evidence, including video footage and Vivian Ramnarace’s identification of the shooter before her death.
The killings happened on December 31, 2022 at the Ramnarace home in Belmopan, only a short distance from where Nah lived. He was also convicted of the attempted murder of Yenie Alberto, who survived being shot in the abdomen. Brothers Jon and David died at the scene, while Vivian succumbed to her injuries just over two weeks later.
Reacting to the sentencing, Belmopan Area Representative and Minister of Home Affairs Oscar Mira said the case had gripped the entire nation and praised the officers who built it. “I think that justice has been served. I believe that I must commend the Police Department for a very good investigation,” he said.
Mira said the result reflects what happens when cases are handled correctly from beginning to end. “When an investigation is done properly, when the prosecution is done properly, then we get convictions,” he said, adding that the verdict offers the family a measure of peace. “It gives us closure. It does not bring us our loved ones back. But it does give us closure. It does give us justice.”
The Minister pledged that police would keep working the cases still open before them, vowing to pursue arrests, proper prosecution, and ultimately convictions.
The case drew national attention in part because of the statement Vivian Ramnarace gave to police before her death, in which she described her attacker. The court found her account honest and reliable, and noted how closely it was supported by video evidence presented during the trial. For the Ramnarace and Belisle families, Friday’s ruling closed one of the most closely watched chapters in recent Belizean criminal history.
