CHRISTIANSTED — A St. Croix man charged with killing a female accomplice in September now faces a possible capital murder punishment, according to the territory’s top law enforcement official.
Rosniel Diaz-Bautista, 22, of Queen Street, Frederiksted, was charged with first-degree murder in the September 8 shooting death of Indierra Morales on King Street in Frederiksted, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.
Diaz-Bautista is scheduled for an advice-of-rights hearing before Magistrate Judge G. Alan Teague on
December 3, 2024, U.S. Attorney Smith said.
VIPD mug shot of Rosniel Diaz-Bautista, 22, of Queen Street, Frederiksted, U.S. Virgin Islands
According to court records, Diaz-Bautista was charged federally with use of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Diaz-Bautista is also charged locally with first-degree murder.
If convicted, Diaz-Bautista faces a maximum penalty of death or imprisonment for any term of years or life imprisonment.
A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Diaz-Bautista was one of two men charged with attempted murder for a shooting that took place on June 25, 2022, Superior Court records show.
In September of 2022, Angel Perez and Diaz Bautista were each arrested by warrant and charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, third-degree assault, unlawful possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and related crimes.
Two women, Reanna Thompson and Indierra Morales, were also charged by warrant with being accessories after the fact to first-degree assault and third-degree assault and misprision of a felony.
This most recent case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Huston.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.
For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see:
https://www.justice.gov/psn.
U.S. Attorney Smith said that a criminal information is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
