FREDERIKSTED — The investigation into the 2021 murder of Johnny “Kountry” Encarnacion led to police leads that a St. Croix man was in possession of an illegal firearm.
Chayanne Trinidad Acosta, 34, was arrested and charged with being a felon carrying a firearm openly or concealed and possession of ammunition, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The case began on November 17, 2021, when detectives with the Criminal Investigation Bureau were investigating the suspicious disappearance of Encarnacion, according to the VIPD.
VIPD mug shot of Chayanne Trinidad Acosta, 34, of St. Croix.
During the investigation, information and evidence obtained by detectives “proved” that Trinidad Acosta was in possession of a firearm, police said.
An arrest warrant was signed by a Superior Court judge on November 6, 2023 calling for Trinidad Acosta’s arrest, according to the police.
“Investigation into this matter revealed that 34-year-old Chayanne Trinidad Acosta was apprehended on November 6, 2023, in Tarrant County Texas,” VIPD spokeswoman Kishma Chichester said.
MISSING AND PRESUMED MURDERED: Johnny “Kountry” Encarnacion
Trinidad Acosta signed a waiver of extradition and was then transported back to the island of St. Croix on February 8, 2024, according to Chichester.
Bail for Trinidad Acosta was set at $50,000.00. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections at the Golden Grove prison.
Trinidad Acosta was scheduled for an advice-of-rights hearing in Superior Court today.
