Source: Flickr Commons

A brutal beating during a robbery in Playa Tamarindo, one of the Gold Coast beaches of Guanacaste, resulted in the death of Barry Lawson, a 72-year old expatriate from the United States. According to a report by Guanacaste news website Primero en Noticias, the robbery took place on April 1^st, and Mr. Lawson passed away days later at the CIMA Hospital in Escazú, province of San Jose.

According to the news report filed by Marcos Ureña of Primero en Noticias, Mr. Lawson was surprised by the home invasion and was not cooperative with the attackers, who demanded that he reveal the combination to a safe kept in his residence. Mr. Lawson’s resistance resulted in a beating, during which he sustained a forceful strike to the head with a blunt object. The suspects walked out with $32,000.

Mr. Lawson’s residence in Playa Tamarindo is located in the Playa Langosta sector. He was a businessman and a philanthropist who founded Amigos de la Educación in the year 2000. According to the website of that non-profit organization:

We provide quality educational services to students and teachers from kindergarten through university living in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Amigos de la Educación awards scholarships to students with genuine financial needs to further their education based on their academic, attendance and social skills. Currently we sponsor 12 scholarships in local Guanacaste grade schools, high schools and universities.

We fund our donations and scholarships with the Annual ¨Have A Heart¨ Charity Golf Tournament, bi-annual theatre productions with The BeachNuts Theatre Group, Credomatic Festival of Music Concerts and a 4K Walk for Quality Education.

Our organization works continually to prevent the sense of hopelessness some young people often feel, when thinking of their future. We also encourage students to actively work towards achieving established and new found goals with their education and scholarship.

Mr. Lawson resided in the Playa Tamarindo area for many years and was involved in different businesses. He passed away from his wounds on April 7^th. This incident has residents of this affluent beach community very concerned for their safety. Playa Tamarindo is considered to be one of the most expensive places to live in Costa Rica, and in recent years it has become an enclave for North American and European expats.