KINGSHILL — Two men and two women are charged with attempted murder in the Cool Out Bar shooting in July, authorities said today.
Ana M. Magras, Melanie Adames, Jamarie K. Grigg, and Flavel Magras were arraigned today in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands on formal criminal charges of first-degree attempted murder and related charges filed by Attorney General Denise George against them.
The criminal Information, which is the formal charging document filed by the AG George for prosecution of the case, charges the four people with first-degree attempted murder (four counts), first-degree assault (four counts), discharging or aiming a firearm (four counts), unauthorized possession of a firearm (eight counts), possession of ammunition (eight counts) and third-degree assault (four counts).
If convicted of first-degree attempted murder the charged face 25 years in prison. For first-degree assault, the punishment is imprisonment of up to 15 years. For discharging or aiming a firearm, it is punished as a felony; a felony (as outlined in 14 VIC 2 (a)(1) is a crime or offense punishable by imprisonment for more than one year. For unauthorized possession of a firearm, they face Imprisonment of not less than 10 years, fine of not less than $10,000.00, nor more than $15,000.00, or both fine and imprisonment. For possession of ammunition, they face Imprisonment for up to seven years or a fine of not more than $10,000.00, or both fine and imprisonment. For third-degree assault, the punishment is a fine of not less than $500.00 and not more than $3,000.00, or imprisonment not more than 5 years, or both.
According to the affidavit filed by Detective Michael Simmonds on Saturday, October 5, 2019 at approximately 5:40 am, the Virgin Islands Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau along with local law enforcement officers executed a search and arrest warrant in Catherine’s Rest, Christiansted during Operation “Cool Out.”
The warrant was issued by the Honorable Magistrate Judge Miguel A. Camacho on Friday, October 4, 2019, in reference to an attempted murder first degree. Upon entry, a shot was allegedly fired from inside the dwelling, striking one of the officers. The team was able to breach the dwelling and found four (4) adults; Flavel Magras, Jamarie K. Grigg, Ana M. Magras and Melanie Adames, along with 5 minor children inside. A search by officers of the dwelling also revealed guns and ammunition that were retrieved based on the search warrant.
At arraignment, the Defendants entered not guilty pleas to all the charges.
Attorney General George cautions the public that the criminal Information is a charging document, and the defendants are not guilty of the offenses charged unless or until they are proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.