Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Canadian man stabbed to death in Progreso, Yucatán

A Canadian man was stabbed to death in Progreso, Yucatán, on Friday in what police have called a “crime of passion.”

Bruce Ivan Allen, 70, of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, was killed Friday morning inside his rented apartment in the Gulf coast port city.

He received multiple stab wounds to his chest and neck, according to social media posts by friends of the victim.

A Mexican man known by the nickname “El Pelón” (Baldy) was arrested in connection with the murder.

Police said nothing was stolen from Allen’s apartment and that he was found naked on a bed.

Herman Savoie, Allen’s partner of 38 years, found the body and alerted police.

The suspected murderer allegedly stayed with the deceased man the night before the attack, which is believed to have followed a heated argument.

According to media reports, Allen and Savoie had spent the winter in Progreso for several years and were well known in the community, especially in a restaurant district popular with foreigners.

A woman who said that she was the lawyer of the deceased denied the police version of events in a social media post on Saturday.

“Our friends [Allen and Savoie] were the victims of a thwarted robbery by a man who decided to take the life of another. This is the correct version [of events] and not the versions that are circulating on social networks. I am Bruce’s lawyer, rest in peace . . . Herman, I assure you that the bastard who committed this despicable crime will pay for what he did,” she wrote.

The online newspaper Progreso Hoy said it has received emails from Canadian residents of Progreso stating they have been victims of a range of crimes including assaults, robbery and fraud and that municipal and state authorities provide little assistance or security to the city’s large foreign community.

But another said in a Facebook post that Progreso was “very safe.”

Canadian Reg Deneau said, “. . . this type of occurrence is highly unusual in the local community.”

Source: Progreso Hoy (sp), ChronicleHerald (en)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
The Tomás Garrido Park is an extension of the La Venta Museum-Park, one of the few open-air museums in Latin America, and features over 30 Olmec heads.

Villahermosa residents protest National Olmec Museum in beloved Tomás Garrido Park

0
Construction of the National Olmec Museum would occupy the grounds of the Tomás Garrido Park in Villahermosa, relocating the park's Olmec monuments and potentially killing the city's "green lung."
SimiPet care

Pawsome news: Dr. Simi launches budget-friendly veterinary care in Mexico

3
SimiPet Care offers basic veterinary services for dogs and cats, including vaccinations, deworming, glucose tests, wound care and travel certificates, for the low cost of 75 pesos (US $3.95).
Store workers standing for their entire shift

With new Chair Law, Mexico says workers have right to sit down on the job

2
Employers in the service and retail industries are most directly impacted by the Chair Law, whose objective is to prevent employees from having to remain standing for the entirety of their shifts.