Augustus Abraham Martin By. The Virgin Islands Police Department
ST. CROIX — A St. Croix man was charged with the November killing of a 19-year-old whose body was found in the drivers seat of a car stopped in the middle of Southside Road, near Sally’s Fancy Road.
Attorney General Denise George announced that Augustus Abraham Martin was arraigned Thursday in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands in charges he shot to death Jeremie E. St. Rose of Christiansted on Nov. 10, 2019. Mr. St. Rose was a student at the University of the Virgin Islands.
Officers with the Virgin Islands Police Department served the arrest warrant on Mr. Martin early morning Thursday.
According to the Department of Justice, the 911 emergency call center dispatched officers to a report of a vehicle stopped in the middle of Southside Road (Hwy 62) at approximately 11:14pm on Nov. 10.
Authorities found Mr. St. Rose leaning out of the driver's door motionless and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to Juan F. Luis Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:50am.
The criminal information charged mr. Martin with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, unauthorized possession of a fireman during the commission of a crime of violence, assault in the third degree, possession or sale of ammunition, reckless endangerment in the first degree, and discharging or aiming a firearm.
If convicted for first-degree murder, Mr. Martin faces life in prison with no chance of parole.
If convicted for first-degree assault, he faces not more than 15 years in prison. For unauthorized possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, the fine is $25,000 and imprisonment of not less than 15 years.
For third-degree assault, Mr. Martin faces a fine of not less than $500 and not more than $3,000, and imprisonment of not more than 5 years or both.
For possession or sale of ammunition, the defendant faces imprisonment of up to 7 years or a fine of not more than $10,000, or both. For first-degree reckless endangerment, he faces imprisonment not exceeding 5 years. For discharging or aiming a firearm, he faces imprisonment not exceeding 5 years.
Ms. George praised the arrest as a show of the working relationship between the V.I. Department of Justice and the V.I. Police Department.
