KINGSHILL — A St. Croix man will likely spend the rest of his natural life in prison after a plea bargain agreement in which he admitted to raping and sodomizing two 8-year-old children, authorities said.
Elroy Edwards, 62, of Barren Spot, was convicted in Superior Court of first-degree aggravated rape-child abuse and first-degree unlawful sexual contact, U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George said. Under terms of the plea bargain, he will spend at least 35 years in prison.
The record of the plea bargain agreement and judge’s decision was entered in court on Monday, George said, adding that Edwards will get credit for 950 days of time already served.
On September 9, 2019, Edwards pleaded guilty to (Count 4) first-degree aggravated rape and (Count 7) first-degree unlawful sexual contact, the attorney general said.
Superior Court Judge Douglas Brady remanded Edwards to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections to serve a sentence of 25 years for the charge of (Count 4) first-degree aggravated rape and an additional 10 years for (Count 7) first-degree unlawful sexual contact to run consecutively with the sentence in Count 4 — for a total of 35 years of incarceration.
Edwards was arrested on March 21, 2018, and advised of his rights before Judge Brady. He was arraigned on April 4, 2018, on the formal charges filed by the attorney general against him for the rape and sodomy of two 8-year-old minors.
“Plea bargaining is a significant part of the prosecution process if the prosecutor can get a just and appropriate conviction and punishment,” AG George said. “Given his age and the length of the sentence, Edwards may likely spend most, if not all, of his remaining life incarcerated.”
Edwards must now register as a convicted sex offender pursuant to 14 Virgin Islands Code, upon release from prison. He would be 97 years old if he served all of the time on his sentence.