John McCarthy
KINGSHILL — A St. Croix man who traveled to the U.S. mainland for medical treatment of bullet wounds has been returned to the territory to face murder charges, authorities said.
Guillermo Rivera, 28 of Aureo Diaz Heights – detained and extradited from Orlando, Florida to St. Croix on September 17 – was arrested at 2:51 p.m and charged with 1st Degree Murder in the shooting deaths of Juan Velazquez and Miguel Ramos on April 17 in Aureo Diaz Heights.
Rivera sustained injuries during the shooting incident and later traveled to the mainland for treatment.
Bail for Rivera was set at $1,000,000. Unable to post bail, he was turned over to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections, pending his Advice of Rights hearing.
Sean Santos, Chief of Police in the St. Croix District, commended detectives for the arrest. “Our Criminal Investigation Bureau, led by Commander Lieutenant Naomi Joseph, stops at nothing to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice. We are still searching for Justin Nesbitt in relation to this case. We are urging him to make arrangements to turn himself in,” Chief Santos said.
If you have information about this case, please call 911, the Crime Tip Line at (340) 778-4950, or Crime Stoppers USVI at (800) 222-TIPS.
All individuals listed as arrested or charged with a crime in this report are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
