Francis Williams, Accused Of Killing Two Fellow Police Officers, Out On Bail

ST. CROIX — Police Officer Francis Williams, who the V.I.P.D. has accused of killing fellow officers Lesha Lammy and Kai Javois, has been released on bail, with Judge Harold Willocks opining that Mr. Williams was not a flight risk because he is a lifelong resident of St. Croix, had no criminal history prior to the myriad of charges levied against him by the V.I.P.D., and that he has family ties on St. Croix. But the most crucial aspect of Mr. Williams’s release was bail in the form of property posted during an October 14 hearing by his father, Francis Williams Sr., and his brother, James Wakefield, totaling $369,000.

The court, however, would not allow Mr. Williams to seek employment, citing the seriousness of the charges against him. “The charges against Mr. Williams are very serious and if convicted of first-degree murder, he will be imprisoned for life,” reads the six-page opinion, seen in full here.

Instead, the court has placed Mr. Williams under 24-hour house arrest with a global positioning system (GPS) device attached to his person; a move Judge Willocks says “significantly” reduces the risk of flight. Mr. Williams was released to the custody of his father, Mr. Francis Williams Sr.

During a Sept. 30 bail hearing, Mr. Williams said he could not post the bail amount of $2 million, and argued that he was not a flight risk as he’s been a lifelong resident of St. Croix with family and friends here. But the V.I.P.D. contended that Mr. Williams was indeed a flight risk, and was opposed to reducing the bail amount because the case arose out of the killing of two police officers, according to the opinion.

Mr. Williams responded by stating that the charges against him were only allegations and that the V.I.P.D. had yet to provide evidence proving its case. The V.I.P.D. countered by stating that Mr. Williams was indeed a flight risk, and that no amount of bail would be sufficient to allay the fear of Mr. Williams leaving. The V.I.P.D. further stated that the evidence against Mr. Williams was indeed strong, and moved for a detention hearing for October 12.

On October 12, the V.I.P.D. moved to withdraw its request for a detention hearing, citing the “sensitive nature and circumstance of the charges pending against the defendant.” The V.I.P.D. left the matter up to the court to decided.

The court on October 14 granted the V.I.P.D.’s motion, which Mr. Williams did not oppose but requested the completion of the bail hearing so more evidence could be put forth. The court granted the completion of the bail hearing on the same day, took the matter under advisement, and ultimately ruled to grant Mr. Williams bail.