B
elize Police Commissioner Chester Williams believes the killing of former Colorado real estate developer Boris Mannsfeld was a targeted hit. Mannsfeld, 56, had just arrived in Belize when he was shot in the back of the neck at his home in Cocoplum Villas at Maya Beach.

    Williams said Mannsfeld had been traveling between Belize and Colorado since the deaths of two associates: Ricardo Borja and Darren Taylor. Although multiple people were arrested for Taylor's murder, Borja's death remains unsolved. Frik De Meyere, a former employee of Mannsfeld's real estate company, is being questioned about Mannsfeld's killing.

    De Meyere worked for Mannsfeld's company as general manager and sales associate for 12 years before founding his own competing business in January 2024. Investigators are exploring the possibility that the three deaths may be connected. Mannsfeld was found face down in a pool of blood, with a licensed firearm belonging to him near his body.

    Williams suggested that Mannsfeld knew he was being watched but failed to defend himself quickly enough against his attacker. Arlette Gomez, acting general manager of Boris Mannsfeld & Associates, declined to comment on the death.