Police Commissioner: Suspect In St. Thomas Double Homicide Is Victims’ Son

ST. THOMAS — The double homicide that occurred over the weekend at the Crystal Cove Resort on Sapphire Bay on the island’s east end, may have been committed by the married couple’s son, according to Virgin Islands Police Department Commissioner designee Delroy Richards, Sr.

Richards told VI Consortium in a phone interview this morning that while police cannot confirm who committed the crime, the son of the deceased couple was vacationing at the rental home with his parents prior to the incident. After the incident, the son fled the island before police could interview him about the murders.

“We’ve never specifically said that the victims’ son committed the crime because it’s part of the investigation,” Richards said. “I know that there was a son there but he’s no longer there because we have not been able to find him, but the investigation is still ongoing.”

He added: “He is a suspect. We have no conclusive evidence to support that it’s the son, but as the investigation progresses, that might change.”

A press release issued late Monday by VIPD Public Information Officer Kevin Jackson, revealed that a couple visiting St. Thomas had been stabbed. However, no information was made available as to who committed the crime and Jackson’s press release only said that investigators were following “strong leads.”

Pressed on whether police officers were considering the victims’ son as the prime suspect, Richards said would not go that far.

“He is a person of interest because obviously he was there with  the family and he departed the island without the family, so obviously he becomes a person of interest.”

The commissioner designee told VI Consortium that a blooded knife was left in the rental home, and that everything found in the house of evidentiary value has been collected and secured, and being processed by the VIPD’s forensic team.

Richards also said that the investigation, while currently being conducted locally, “could extend off-island.”

In relation to the territory receiving bad press because of the information provided in the VIPD’s first press release, Richards said “at some point in time, we’re going to have to correct that once we have substantial evidence.”