KINGSHILL — After seven years and one hung jury, former police sergeant Ronald Hatcher will not be re-tried on voluntary manslaughter charges in the 2013 shooting death of a Christiansted man.
At a status conference today in Superior Court to determine a trial date, Superior Court Judge Jomo Meade asked Assistant Virgin Islands Attorney General Amie Simpson if the prosecution intended to retry the case.
Assistant Attorney General Simpson declined. At that moment, Hatcher’s defense attorney Yohana Manning stood up and asked Judge Meade to dismiss the case with prejudice.
Judge Meade asked Assistant Attorney General Simpson if she had any objections and she said “no.” Because the case was dismissed with prejudice, it cannot be re-filed at a later date.
After a week-long trial in March of 2018, a Superior Court jury could not reach a unanimous verdict and a “mistrial” was declared.
Hatcher’s attorney Manning successfully argued in 2018 that her client was a “Good Samaritan” who wanted to save another person’s life.
And talking frankly to the Virgin Islands Free Press today, Hatcher himself agreed.
“It all came about because I was doing my civic duty and came to someone’s assistance in a time of dire need,” Hatcher said.
Hatcher, a 45-year veteran who headed the police academy for the Virgin Islands Police Department, knows the difference between proper police procedure and criminal misconduct.
Ultimately, the Virgin Islands Department of Justice agreed with him and charges of voluntary manslaughter were dismissed by the court.
In 2018, a jury found Hatcher innocent of charges of reckless endangerment and carrying or using a dangerous weapon in connection to the shooting death of Jose Rivera Berrios on September 26, 2013, on Queen Cross Street in Christiansted.
At that trial concluding on March 28, 2018, the Superior Court judge reduced charges of second-degree murder to voluntary manslaughter.
Although Hatcher said he was relieved that the charges were dismissed today, he acknowledged that seven years of uncertainty had taken a toll on he and his wife, especially since he is now suffering from cancer.
“It was a long time coming,” he said. “Thanks go out to Attorney Manning for doing such a wonderful job.”