BELMOPAN, Belize (CMC) — A 32-year-old man charged with murdering his elderly parents is scheduled to return to court on February 12 next year.

Police said Mario Huezo has been charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of his parents, 79-year-old Rafael and 59-year-old Nanny Huezo. Their badly decomposed bodies were found last Monday morning by one of their sons on the couch in their Orange Walk Town home in the north-west of the country.

The authorities said that both had been chopped several times.

During Huezo’s appearance in court last week, Magistrate Patricia Arana ordered that the accused undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Senior Superintendent of Police Hilberto Romero, who is also deputy head of the National Crimes Investigation Branch, said the accused was detained after he was located in the south and “based on the evidence gathered, he was charged for the two counts of murder”.

The police say they are still investigating the matter and would not comment on whether or not Huezo may have been under the influence of some type of drug.

The couple had been well-known in Orange Walk and their murders sent shockwaves across the town. Mayor Kevin Bernard said “these people are respectful citizens of our community, so it really hurts us. He assisted people in many ways without making it public, likewise his wife. So, when a tragedy like this hits home, it really hurts”.