Remand inmate dies after medical emergency at Belize Central Prison

A 32-year-old inmate at the Belize Central Prison has died following a medical emergency inside the facility.  He has been identified as Phillip Devon Bowen, who was on remand in connection with a 2020 double murder case.  Reports indicate that Bowen suffered an asthma attack at approximately 7:20 a.m. yesterday while participating in one of the prison’s assigned programs. Love News understands that he was being assisted to the prison’s medical center when he collapsed.  At the facility’s clinic, Bowen was reportedly found to have low oxygen levels, as well as a weakened pulse and heart rate. He was subsequently placed for urgent transfer to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for further treatment but died en route.  Bowen had been on remand since June 4, 2020, jointly charged with Theodore Garcia for the murders of 55-year-old Belizean divemaster Quentin Espinosa and 70-year-old American national Roman Burley. The two men were found dead on May 22, 2020, on a property along Hopkins Road, each with gunshot wounds to the head. Garcia remains on remand at this time.  Bowen also had a prior criminal history. In February 2016, he was convicted of one count of robbery and two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm against two police constables. He was sentenced to seven years for the robbery and two years on each assault charge, with the sentences running concurrently.  Additionally, Bowen was among a group of inmates who escaped from prison on October 12, 2020, but he was later recaptured.  According to prison official, no foul play is suspected in this incident.