Crime

Man Facing Minimum Of 15 Years In Jail Following Gun Possession Conviction

ST. THOMAS -- Jurors empaneled to hear the trial of Mario Emanuel, above, convicted him of weapons charges in connection with a Jan. 23, 2016 incident. Following a day of testimony and about three hours of deliberation, the 12 men and women returned a unanimous verdict Thursday night finding Emanuel, 39, of Bournefield, guilty of both counts he faced – unauthorized possession of a firearm with obliterated identification marks and unauthorized possession of a firearm, the V.I. Department of Justice announced today. In commenting on the outcome of the case, Attorney General Claude Earl Walker said, “Having been found guilty of possessing an unlicensed firearm with an obliterated serial number, the Defendant, under Virgin Islands law, must serve a minimum of 15 years in jail without parole, so this case should help to deter others from possessing illegal guns in the Virgin Islands, and as DOJ is staffing up with prosecutors, we intend to continue to expend tremendous resources to prepare ...