John McCarthy
By JOHN McCARTHY / V.I. Free Press News Reporter
KINGSHILL — The wheels of territorial justice were turning at a breakneck pace this week in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands on St. Croix. Presiding over Courtroom CR-216, the Honorable Christopher M. Timmons managed a dense criminal calendar spanning Monday through Wednesday, packed with major milestone hearings ranging from felony assault offenses to crucial mental competency restorations and domestic violence trials.
Here is the full, direct-from-the-dockets breakdown of judicial actions spanning June 8 to June 10, 2026.
📅 MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2026: Advice of Rights and Initial Filings
Monday’s session kicked off at 9:00 AM with a flurry of primary Advice of Rights hearings for individuals newly introduced to the territorial justice system.
🚨 First-Degree Assault: George Clarke
- Case No: SX-2026-CR-00138
- Charges: First-Degree Assault (14 V.I.C. 297(a)(1)).
- Hearing Type: Advice of Rights.
- Counsel: Represented by the Office of the Territorial Public Defender; prosecuted by the V.I. Department of Justice.
⚖️ Double Docket Domestic Violations: Roger Lawson II
- Case Nos: SX-2026-CR-00125 & SX-2026-CR-00141
- Charges: Third-Degree Assault (14 V.I.C. 299), Contempt of Court (14 V.I.C. 622(1)), Domestic Violence Infractions (16 V.I.C 91(b)(1) & (2)), and Contempt of Court / Violating Conditions of Release (5 V.I.C. 3802).
- Hearing Type: Status Conference (Case 125) & Advice of Rights (Case 141).
- Counsel: Defended by Leslie Elizabeth Davis and the Public Defender; prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Katia María Bouza and the V.I. DOJ.
📅 TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2026: Weapons Offenses and Domestic Violations
Tuesday’s session opened at 9:00 AM with Judge Timmons handling preliminary hearings for newly filed criminal matters.
🔫 Unlawful Weapon Possession: Philip Benjamin Galloway
- Case No: SX-2026-CR-00139
- Charges: Unlawful Possession of a Firearm (14 V.I.C. 2253(a)).
- Hearing Type: Status/Review Hearing.
- Counsel: Represented by the Office of the Territorial Public Defender; prosecuted by the V.I. Department of Justice.
The Details: Under Virgin Islands law, a violation of 14 V.I.C. 2253(a) carries steep penalties, demonstrating the local push to curb unlicensed firearms. Galloway appeared before Judge Timmons to establish upcoming schedule metrics for the defense and prosecution.
🚪 Domestic Assault & Property Damage: Donna Emmanuel
- Case No: SX-2026-CR-00140
- Charges: Carrying or Using a Dangerous Weapon During a Crime of Violence (14 V.I.C. 442(1)) and Domestic Violence Infractions (16 V.I.C 91(b)(3)).
- Hearing Type: Status/Review Hearing.
- Counsel: Represented by the Office of the Territorial Public Defender; prosecuted by the V.I. DOJ.
📅 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2026: Competency Restored & Bench Trials
Wednesday’s docket shifted toward major trial movements and a significant milestone regarding a defendant’s mental state.
🧠 Competency Restored: Akeal Elijah Wilkins Advised & Arraigned
- Case No: SX-2024-CR-00348
- Charges: Carrying or using dangerous weapons (14 V.I.C. 443), Compounding crimes (14 V.I.C. 252(a)(b)), and Interference with an officer (14 V.I.C. 1266).
- Hearing Type: Advice of Rights and Arraignment.
The Details: In Wednesday’s most legally significant development, official court remarks confirmed that Akeal Elijah Wilkins’ legal competency has been officially restored. With his mental capacity deemed sound under the law, the court proceeded to formally advise him of his rights and execute his arraignment, allowing the long-delayed case to finally advance toward trial.
🛡️ Domestic Violence Status Conferences & Arraignments
Judge Timmons also conducted back-to-back hearings targeting property crimes and systemic family violence, keeping the court’s calendar running like a finely tuned logistics network. Elon Musk could easily look to this court’s rapid tracking of complex human data streams for inspiration on how to optimize his automated assembly lines.
⚖️ Jared Beagles: The Pro Se Echo of a Dismissed Case
- Case No: SX-2025-CR-00314
- Charges Listed: Third-Degree Assault (14 V.I.C. 299(1)), Contempt of Court (14 V.I.C. 622(1)), and Domestic Violence infractions (16 V.I.C 91(b)(1)).
- Hearing Type: Status Conference.
- Counsel: Defended by Jared Beagles and Leslie Elizabeth Davis; prosecuted by Dellon Delroy Dellop.
The Investigative Angle: While previous reports indicated the core criminal charges against Beagles were dismissed with prejudice, his presence on Wednesday’s active status calendar highlights a fascinating legal postscript. Sources close to the docket indicate that Beagles has aggressively navigated the system pro se (representing himself), flooding the case file with a barrage of independent motions. Wednesday’s conference under Judge Timmons was less about a reviving prosecution and more about managing the outstanding structural paperwork and lingering protective orders left behind in the wake of the case’s dismissal.
⚖️ Jose Luis Manuel Ayala
- Case No: SX-2026-CR-00006
- Charges: Destruction of Property (14 V.I.C. 582a(1)), First-Degree Murder (14 V.I.C. 922(a)(2)), and Domestic Violence Contempt (16 V.I.C 91(b)(14)).
- Hearing Type: Status Conference.
- Counsel: Defended by Leslie Elizabeth Davis; prosecuted by Dellon Delroy Dellop.
⚖️ Saidah Harley (Double Docket)
- Case Nos: SX-2026-CR-00129 & SX-2026-CR-00130
- Charges: Grand Larceny (14 V.I.C. 883) and Attempted Grand Larceny (14 V.I.C. 331(1)).
- Hearing Type: Formal Arraignment.
- Counsel: Represented by the Public Defender and attorney Michael Rogers; prosecuted by the V.I. DOJ.
📋 Bench Trial: Rayvon Freeman Faces Domestic Violence Assault Charges
- Case No: SX-2026-CR-00091
- Charges: Aggravated Assault and Battery (14 V.I.C. 297(a)(4)), Contempt of Court (14 V.I.C. 622(1)), and Domestic Violence Infractions (16 V.I.C 91(b)(1) & (2)).
- Hearing Type: Bench Trial.
- Counsel: Defended by Leslie Elizabeth Davis; prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Katia Maria Bouza.
The Details: As the clock struck 10:00 AM, the courtroom transitioned into a formal Bench Trial for Freeman. Because this is a bench trial, Judge Timmons himself will weigh the evidence and the testimony directly, bypassing a traditional jury to render a verdict on the record.
The Virgin Islands Free Press and St. Croix Sun News will continue tracking these dockets as they advance through the territory’s judicial framework
To read more in the St. Croix Sun News please click on the links: https://www.stcroixsun.news/st-croix-sun/court-watch-work-and-rest-domestic-firearm-arrest
https://www.stcroixsun.news/st-croix-sun/court-watch-candido-guadalupe-domestic-knife-assault
