Jayme Marin, charged
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. July 24, 2025
Jayme Marin, then 28, now 34, the man who was first declared “mentally insane,” “crazy,” then found to be fit to stand trial after a second evaluation, was sentenced late this evening to 15 years in prison, but saw a 2-years increase to as many as 17 years, but with deductions for early guilty plea and remorse, and plea for forgiveness from his family. After negotiating a plea bargain agreement, he must serve two sentences of 11 years 10 months and 16 days each; however, since the death and the injury of his cousins resulted from one incident, his sentences were ordered to be run concurrently with each other; and so, Marin will serve 11 years 10 months and 16 days for the killing of his cousin, Isaac Marin, and attempted murder of his other cousin, Carlos Marin, in Caye Caulker.
After months of adjournment, evaluations, court hearings and rulings, Jayme Marin entered into a plea discussion with the Crown, and entered a guilty plea for one count of manslaughter for killing his cousin, Isaac Marin, and stabbing his other cousin, Carlos Marin, who lived to tell the tale; but he then spared his extended family members from having to relive the trauma of the fatal night by pleading guilty to the lesser charge of murder for Isaac Marin and guilty to attempted murder for Carlos Marin.
The stabbing incident occurred on October 22, 2019 on Caye Caulker.
Jayme Marin reportedly told his cousin, Carlos Marin, before attacking him with two knives, “The devil wants your soul;” and during attacking of one cousin, the younger sibling, Isaac, woke up and saw his cousin attacking his brother, and he intervened, but was tragically stabbed to death.
Doctor Michael Medina certified Jayme Marin to be suffering from “Paranoid Schizophrenia”, which caused him to have “Command Hallucinations “.
The doctor said that Marin was off his medication when the incident occurred.
In imposing a starting point of 15 years today, Justice Nigel Pilgrim took into consideration the aggravating factors, being: the men were stabbed in the presence of relatives, as Isaac was stabbed in front of his older brother, Carlos; a weapon was used, 2 knives; and the prevalence of the type of offense; and so, he increased the sentence of 15 years by 3 years, bringing it to 18 years.
Consideration to the mitigating factors made Marin see saw a deduction by 1 year; so, from 18 years less 1 left him with 17 years.
Justice Pilgrim said he found no aggravating factors to the offender, as his record showed no prison infractions. Rather, he showed genuine remorse for his actions; and at mitigation, he (Jayme Marin) fought through tears and begged his family in court for forgiveness for his action, because he loved his cousin Isaac whose death he had caused.
Justice Pilgrim also took into consideration Jayme’s medical condition, being diagnosed with “Paranoid Schizophrenia,” and for that he deducted 4 more years from the 17 years, leaving him with 13 years.
Jayme was also given a deduction for his early guilty plea, having entered into a plea bargain with the Crown, and so an additional 2 years 1 month 14 days was deducted from the 13 years leaving him with 11 years 10 months and 16 days, which he back dated to the date when Marin’s bail was revoked, which was July 23 2024.
Marin’s sentences were ordered to run concurrently ordered Justice Pilgrim.
In July 2024, Jayme Marin, who was out on bail granted to him by High Court judge Pilgrim, had his bail revoked when he was not showing up for his court hearings.
Marin’s father had told the court that he (Jayme) would not take his medication, and he refused to come to court. When he was picked up, his bail was revoked, and he has been behind bars since the revocation of his bail. In the matter, Marin was represented by attorney Arthur Saldivar, while the Crown was represented by Crown Counsel, Shanell Fernandez Peyrefitte.
