CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Two cowboys who flipped their car over on St. Thomas on July 22 have been arrested for murder one.
Rosokeomo Archibald, 39, of Estate Bovoni Apartments and Tyler Labbarie, 30, who was in the custody of the Bureau of Corrections on another violation were arrested on homicide charges, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
Archibald and Labbarie were charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, third-degree assault, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and first-degree reckless endangerment, according to the VIPD.
“Archibald and Labbarie were identified as the individuals who shot and killed 29-year-old Khamal Desilvia on July 22 at a hotel in Smith Bay,” VIPD spokesman Toby Derima said.
Desilvia was shot dead at Pavilions and Pools Villa Hotel in Smith Bay at 11:16 p.m. on July 22. Three minutes later, officers responded to a car crash nearby in the area of Sapphire Beach Resort, according to a probable cause fact sheet filed by police.
Inside the vehicle, officers found two men dressed in black hoodies with black stocking caps over their heads. The two were identified as Archibald and Labarrie, according to the fact sheet.
Each man is being held on $1 million bail pending their advice-of-rights hearing.
Various police and court documents have spelled the defendants’ names different ways, including “Rasoromeo Archibald,” and “Tyler Labbarie” and “Tyler Lamarrie.”
When police approached the vehicle, each man kept their hands hidden and did not respond. An officer saw Archibald “reaching on the ground for what appeared to be an AK assault rifle,” according to the fact sheet.
“Mr. Archibald placed both hands on the rifle and began to attempt to pick it up, but it appeared to be lodged in the door of the vehicle,” the sworn police affidavit stated.
The officer aimed his weapon at Archibald and repeatedly screamed at him to “stop reaching,” while Labarrie complied and raised his hands, according to the fact sheet. “Mr. Labarrie then grabbed Mr. Archibald’s hands and pinned them in the air.”
As one officer pulled the men from the overturned vehicle, the other kept his firearm aimed and noticed another black handgun on the ground inches away from the two men, according to the fact sheet.
St. Thomas/St. John Chief of Police Steven Phillip commended the detectives of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, led by Lieutenant Shelly-Ann Cannonier, for the work that they did in securing the warrant that led to the arrests.
“I would like to thank members of the community for coming forward with tips that allowed us to get these guys,” Chief Phillip said.
Police Commissioner Trevor Velinor stated, “this case is a good example of effective police response, meticulous investigative capability, in addition to the use of technology to solve this crime.”
On July 24, the Virgin Islands Police Department said that Rosokeomo Archibald’s name was “Rosoromeo Archibald.” The VIPD called Tyler Labarrie “Tyler Lamarrie” at that time.
The VIPD has a long history of misspelling suspects’ names.