ST. THOMAS — Police on Wednesday arrested a man and charged him with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and using a dangerous weapon during the commission of a crime, after investigators determined that the man had struck and killed his girlfriend several days earlier, V.I.P.D. Public Information Officer Glen Dratte has announced.
According to Mr. Dratte, on Saturday, August 25 at approximately 5:06 a.m., officers were dispatched to Lerkenlund in St. Thomas in reference to an unresponsive female. Upon their arrival, the officers observed an unresponsive female on the floor of the apartment, Mr. Dratte said.
Emergency medical technicians were present on the scene and concluded that the female did not have any vital signs.
Mr. Dratte said police spoke with the boyfriend, identified as 40-year-old Christopher Smith, as part of their investigation. Mr. Smith said he woke up the morning of August 25 and found his girlfriend unresponsive, according to police.
However, an autopsy performed on Tuesday revealed that the victim, identified by next of kin as 35-year-old Regina Powell, had suffered blunt trauma to the head area and died.
With the new information in their possession, V.I.P.D. officers arrested Mr. Smith pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by the Magistrate Court of the Virgin Islands. He was later remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending his advisement hearing, according to Mr. Dratte.
Tags: christopher smith
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