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Features
Mother Upset That Teacher Who Kicked Her Son Wasn’t Charged
Man On Trial For Murdering Wife, Torching Car
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Monday, the jury se- lection began in the murder trial of a Tampa man. He is accused of killing his wife and burning the vehicle that contained her body.
Christopher Belcher,
46, is charged with second- degree murder and first-de- gree arson in the death of his wife, Mrs. Gwendolyn Pa- tricia Belcher. She died in September 2012.
The murder investigation began as a missing person’s case filed by the family of Mrs. Belcher on Septem- ber 16, 2012. One of her fam- ily members filed the report. Deputies responded to con- duct a missing person’s in- vestigation around 4:30 p.m., that evening.
During the course of the investigation, police learned that the night before, Belcher and his wife had become engaged in a verbal confrontation that turned vi- olent.
About two hours after the Missing Person’s Report was filed, other deputies re- sponded to Taylor Road and Pruett Road in reference to a burned vehicle. Deputies de- termined that the torched ve- hicle was a 2000 Nissan Maxima registered to Mrs. Belcher. Police also found
CHRISTOPHER BELCHER ... Murder trial underway
skeletal remains inside the burned car. The remains were transported to the Hillsborough County Med- ical Examiner’s Office for identification.
The following Monday, on September 17, 2012, the Hillsborough County Sher- iff’s Office arrested Belcher and charged him with do- mestic violence.
On September 20, 2012, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office released in- formation that the skeletal remains found in the burned car were those of Mrs. Belcher. The Medical Ex- aminer determined her death was a homicide on October 3, 2012.
Belcher was released on bond on October 2, 2012. The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office
dropped the domestic vio- lence charge because of a lack of evidence.
On October 26, 2012, an arrest warrant was issued for Belcher for second-degree murder and first-degree arson.
A task force consisting of the Greenville City Police, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, and the U. S. Mar- shal’s Office tracked Belcher to his sister’s home in Greenville, South Car- olina, on November 1, 2012. He was returned to Hillsbor- ough County on November 8th, and his bond was set at $600,000.
A spokesperson for the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office said the trial is expected to last about a week.
GWENDOLYN BELCHER ...murdered in 2012
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
On May 15, 2015, 7-year- old Jamar Nieves, a student at Kenly Elementary was al- legedly kicked in the chest by his teacher, Perez Lopez.
Nieves said the incident started when he accidentally knocked the teacher’s phone out of his hand.
“He got real mad, and kicked me in the chest.”
Nieves’ mother, Kim- berly Eberhart, immedi- ately requested a meeting with the principal at Kenly who said they’d look into the inci- dent.
“I was upset to find out that the teacher wasn’t imme- diately suspended, especially after the incident was wit- nessed by other students.
“I think the teacher has been trying to intimidate Jamar and taunt him.”
Ms. Eberhart said this is not the first incident involving her son and Lopez.
“I’m upset that one day Jamar came home from school with a big scratch that was inflicted by another stu- dent. I was never notified about the incident.’
Ms. Eberhart called the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and they assigned a de- tective to investigate the alle- gations.
School District spokesper- son, Tanya Arja, said they have almost completed their investigation into the inci- dent, and don’t expect Lopez to be in front of kids anymore.
JAMAR NIEVES
“He was automatically pulled from the class. I was told by the principal they’ve been in constant contact with Jamar’s mother to keep her abreast of what’s going on.”
According to the State At- torney’s Office, Lopez will not be charged in the incident, because their office believes he acted in self defense.
“I’m not at all happy he wasn’t charged,” said Ms. Eberhart.
“Although they’ve said he’s not going to be charged, that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop seeking justice for my son.”
Jamar said regardless of what happens, he never wants to return to Kenly again.
“I don’t like going to school there, and it doesn’t matter that the teacher is gone. I don’t like the school, and I want to go somewhere else.”
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015