FREDERIKSTED — An accused “contract killer” was arrested in a WAPA bucket truck for the January killing of a St. Thomas tow truck driver, authorities said.
Quasheem Christian, 23, was arrested this afternoon and charged with first-degree murder, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The rumpus began at 11:40 a.m., when Christian was spotted in Estate Mountain in a WAPA truck, and a traffic stop was made near the Industrial Park on the Melvin H. Evans Highway. according to the VIPD.
“Christian was arrested without incident for the murder of Chandler “Frenchie” Heath,” VIPD Communications Director Glen Dratte said.
VIPD mug shot of Quasheem Christian, 23, of St. Croix.
The VIPD’s Major Crime Unit, St. Thomas district was assigned to investigate the murder of Heath, a tow truck operator who was killed in Bolongo Bay on January 29, 2023, according to Dratte.
“The investigation led to the identification of the suspect and a warrant was sought and obtained for the arrest of 23-year-old Quasheem Christian as a contract killer,” the police spokesman said.
Bail for Christian was set at $1,000,000.00. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections at the Golden Grove prison.
MURDER VICTIM: Chandler “Frenchie” Heath of St. Thomas.
The suspect is scheduled for an advice-of-rights hearing in Superior Court on Friday.
“This arrest really shows the communication between the islands (St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John), considering that the incident occurred on St. Thomas and the arrest was made on St. Croix,” St. Croix Police Chief Sean Santo said. “Some folks might question the tactics officers used but based on the severity of the warrant (being a murder warrant), the officers exercised caution. Everyone is aware of the climate that we are in, where officers are being challenged more by way of violence, so the officers addressed it appropriately.”