ROANOKE, Va. - Family, friends and coworkers gathered to honor the life of Dr. Gary Swank Tuesday night. The Roanoke man was murdered in Belize last week while on a fishing expedition. In Belize on Tuesday, the prime suspect in this double murder was released by police, according to local media. Prior to that, inside the church they celebrated the life of Swank, an innocent victim of alleged gang violence in Belize. "I did not know him, but I learned so many wonderful things about him, and I'm so sorry for his family."

SAN PEDRO, BELIZE - Authorities have released the main suspect in the murder of Dr. Gary Swank and his tour guide, Mario Graniel, according to 7 News Belize. The suspect, Christian Espat, reportedly turned himself in on Thursday but was released Tuesday after police questioning. The San Pedro Sun reports that other people were also detained by police for questioning in regard to the double murder. The move reportedly comes after the National Security Council of Belize held an emergency meeting due to Swank and Graniel's deaths. According to Breaking Belize News, authorities believe that Swank was murdered because he was a witness to the murder of his tour guide.

ROANOKE, Va. - The life of a Roanoke doctor who was murdered in Belize will be celebrated during a memorial service Tuesday. The service for Dr. Gary Swank is at 7 p.m. at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church on Brambleton Avenue. Visitation with his family will start at 6 p.m. Instead of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made, at Any American National Bank branch, to a scholarship fund for the Swank children. Copyright 2019 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.

SAN PEDRO, Belize - Someone believed to have played a major role in the murder of Dr. Gary Swank is in police custody in Belize, according to The San Pedro Sun. The paper reports that police have arrested a prime suspect in the double murder of Swank, 53, a Roanoke doctor, and his tour guide, Mario Graniel. Authorities tell the San Pedro Sun that they believe Graniel was the target of the shooting because officers were called to his home Saturday after an unknown gunman fired shots outside his apartment complex. According to Breaking Belize News, authorities believe that Swank was murdered because he was a witness to the murder of his tour guide, Mario Graniel. Swank, 53, was a cardiologist at Carilion Clinic and was on a fly fishing expedition.

ROANOKE, Va. - There may be reservations about traveling to Belize after a Roanoke doctor and his tour guide were found murdered there this week. The news surprised Gary Hunt, a Roanoke man who has traveled to Belize every year since 1990 to donate school supplies for charity. "It's a sad thing to hear about and I'm sorry it took place in my favorite little country," Hunt said. "It's a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Hunt says he felt safe in Belize every time he visited and still recommends traveling to the country.

ROANOKE, Va. - An international murder with ripple effects here in the Roanoke Valley. This is where Dr. Gary Swank lived, worked and saved so many lives. But more than just a brilliant doctor, his sister Melanie Wilhelm says, he was a father, husband and a brother. "My brother Gary, he was always the lucky one," said Wilhelm. When she first learned of her brother's murder, she thought it was a scam.

Rob Kim/Getty Images(CNN) - A Virginia doctor was gunned down with his tour guide while on vacation in Belize, according to local authorities. He had been on a fishing boat with local guide Mario Graniel when they were both shot dead, Belize Police Commissioner Chester Williams said in a press conference Monday recorded by the San Pedro Sun newspaper. In the recording, Williams said the tour guide had a disagreement with a local gang kingpin, and agrees that Swank was a "victim of circumstance." Rhonda Saunders, a 10-year patient of Swank's, told CNN affiliate WFXR-TV he made a huge difference in her life. US Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said he was "horrified to hear about the tragic death."

SAN PEDRO, Belize - Belizean authorities now say that a Roanoke doctor who was murdered was "collateral damage." Authorities tell BBN that Graniel had a disagreement with a "notorious gang figure" days before he was killed. 10 News has been unsuccessful in its attempts to reach the United States Consulate in Belize, or the local authorities. But authorities in Belize tell the San Pedro Sun that he was found floating facedown in a lagoon with several gunshot wounds. Mario Graniel, 53, a well-known local Belizian tour guide, was also found dead in the boat with several gunshot wounds.