KINGSHILL — A 21-year-old St. Croix man was sentenced to three decades behind bars today for what prosecutors described as the “calculated and cold-hearted” execution of a defenseless local veteran.
Ryan Branch received a 30-year prison sentence from Superior Court Judge Venetia Harvey Velazquez for the April 2024 murder of Milton “Bo Bo” Gordon.
According to Department of Justice investigators, Branch and a co-defendant, Elijah T. Spencer, spent the early morning hours stalking the homeless veteran through the darkened streets of downtown Christiansted.
The pair eventually lured Gordon to Company Street, where he was ambushed and shot multiple times at close range.
While Branch pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in January, the court determined that the predatory nature of the stalking warranted a sentence far beyond the mandatory minimum, ensuring the 21-year-old was immediately remanded into custody to begin his term.
THE ANATOMY OF A PREDATOR: ST. CROIX’S ‘AMERICAN PSYCHO’
While the 30-year sentence handed down to 21-year-old Ryan Branch offers a measure of closure for the St. Croix community, the details of the crime reveal a disturbing, detached methodology that has drawn immediate comparisons to the fictional Patrick Bateman of American Psycho.
Much like the Bret Easton Ellis protagonist, Branch’s actions were characterized by a chilling lack of provocation and a high degree of calculation.
Prosecutors highlighted that this was not a crime of passion or a sudden dispute; it was a “predatory stalking” in which Branch and his co-defendant hunted a defenseless veteran through the dark corridors of town before luring him to a pre-selected kill zone on Company Street.
In a territory where violence is often reactive, the “American Psycho” of St. Croix represents a different, more haunting breed of criminal—one that wears a mask of normalcy while practicing the cold, systematic elimination of the vulnerable.
The Sentence: 30 years in prison for Murder in the Second Degree.
The Victim: Milton “Bo Bo” Gordon, a veteran and well-known member of the Christiansted community.
The Crime: Branch and a co-defendant, Elijah T. Spencer, stalked Gordon through downtown Christiansted before luring him to Company Street and shooting him multiple times in April 2024.
The Status: Branch was immediately taken into custody following the sentencing by Judge Venetia H. Velazquez.
The Co-Defendant: Elijah T. Spencer was found incompetent to stand trial in November 2025 and is awaiting placement at a forensic facility.
