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.
This 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.
