Sayif Brooks gets 8 years for driving through 79-year-old man

KINGSHILL — Sayif Brooks, 32, of St. Croix, was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison for negligent homicide by motor vehicle, Virgin Islands Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea said today.

Brooks pleaded guilty in Superior Court on March 12, 2025 to charges related to the death of 79-year-old Howard Dyer, according to AG Rhea.

The incident occurred on June 7, 2022, when Brooks hit Dyer with his car while Dyer was crossing the street in front of Two Plus Two Restaurant and Bar on Northside Road in La Grande Princesse, St. Croix.

VIPD mug shot of Sayif Brooks, 32, of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

At the time, Brooks was driving 40 mph in a 20-mph zone, and his vehicle was neither registered nor insured. Dyer tragically succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

Wednesday’s sentence was handed down by Superior Court Judge Douglas Brady.

Attorney General Rhea expressed gratitude to everyone involved in the case, including prosecutor Robert Pickett, Esq., Assistant Attorney General, and Juliet John-Hope, Victim Witness Advocate, from the St. Croix District of the Virgin Islands Department of Justice (DOJ) Criminal Division. He also expressed gratitude to Officer Shaverna Chooran of the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD), who investigated the case.