Jasmine Hartin will ‘be treated as killer’ if she doesn’t explain death of Belize cop
The daughter-in-law of a British billionaire being held in connection with the death of a Belize police official must provide an “explanation” to authorities — or she’ll “have to be treated as the killer,” investigators said, according to a report.
Jasmine Hartin, who is married to the son of politically
connected businessman Lord Michael Ashcroft, is being questioned in the Friday
morning shooting death of San Pedro Superintendent Henry Jemmott.
The two were drinking and socializing on a pier before
Jemmott’s body was found floating in the water with a bullet wound to the head
and his service weapon nearby, police said.
Hartin, 38, initially refused to cooperate with
investigators and asked for her lawyer, Belize Police Commissioner Chester
Williams said.
Hartin was “deeply distressed and shaking” and covered in
blood when first responders arrived, according to The Daily Mail.
“She stated that she needed to have her attorney present in
order for her to say what she needs to say, and it’s her right by virtue of the
constitution, but that raises a red flag, Williams said, according to the
paper.
“The situation is such that it does require an explanation
from her. In the absence of an explanation then she would have to be treated as
the killer and we will proceed accordingly.”
Hartin and Jemmott, 42, were old friends that were
socializing after hours in violation of the country’s COVID-19 curfew, Williams
said, according to the report.
“The first person who arrived on the scene after the
incident occurred said that she was in an emotional state.”
Henry Jemmott was found dead on May 28, 2021 with a gunshot
wound to his head.
Jemmott’s family said they believed he had been killed. It’s
unclear if medical examiners have ruled out an accidental death or suicide.
“I spoke to him that night. He was in his room when he got a
call. He wouldn’t have gone out unless it was for a friend of someone he knew
well,’ said Marie Jemmott Tzul, the superintendent’s sister, according to the
outlet.
“I believe he was killed. The investigation can tell me
otherwise, but I believe he was killed.”
A source offered a possible explanation for Hartin being
soaked in blood after the shooting, the article said.
“After the gun went off, Jemmott fell on top of her and so
she pushed him off and that’s how he ended up in the shallow water by the
pier,” the source suggested.
Hartin, a US national, lives in Belize with her husband
Andrew Ashcroft. She is the director of lifestyle and experience at the Alaia
Belize resort, where she was staying before Jemmott’s death.
Her father-in-law is Belize’s former ambassador to the
United Nations and his lawyer, the country’s former attorney general,
reportedly visited Hartin in jail Saturday.
Locals were abuzz about the high-profile incident and
investigation.
“It is so quiet here that a lot of people were woken up by
it,” a witness told the Mail. “Then all hell broke loose. There are so few
facts. But it’s all anyone has talked about since.”
“I’ve heard lots of theories,” another woman told the
outlet. “That they were drinking and maybe she was playing around with his gun
and it accidentally went off. Or maybe they were playing a game and she didn’t
think it was loaded.”
One resident reportedly described the San Pedro police
station jail holding cell where Hartin is staying as “hell on earth.”
“She is a lady who is used to luxury. Whenever you see her
she is always perfectly dressed, her children are always perfect,” the resident
told the outlet.
“She is a nice lady, very polite and beautiful. I can’t
imagine her in there. I have been inside that jail. The cell floors are made of
dirt and the whole place smells of urine.”
Many islanders who spoke to the paper had fond feelings for
the Ashcroft family. Lord Ashcroft was raised in Belize, took dual citizenship and
built up the country’s financial, communication and tourism industries.
“The Ashcrofts are integral to Belize,” one resident said.
“Many people are grateful to Lord Ashcroft for all the millions he has invested
in this country.”
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