Mugshot of Omari Horton. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — Omari Horton, age 30, has been arrested and charged with several crimes, including first-degree murder, following the stabbing of his brother at Bougainvillea Gardens Apartments in Frederiksted Town, the V.I. Police Department has announced.
The VIPD reported that on February 8 at approximately 12:52 a.m., officers responded to an emergency call at Bougainvillea Gardens. A concerned citizen had reported a male being stabbed at the location. Emergency Medical Technicians attended to the victim at the scene, providing medical aid before transporting him to the Juan F. Luis Hospital. The victim, later identified as Rupert Rivera, 42, Horton's brother, had sustained a critical stab wound to the right side of his neck.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau's investigation revealed that Omari Horton was the assailant, having stabbed Rivera in the neck with a knife. Horton was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, and possession of a dangerous weapon during the commission of a crime of violence.
Following his arrest, Horton was unable to post the set bail of $100,000 and was transported to the John Bell Correctional Facility. He is being held there pending his Advice of Rights Hearing, scheduled for February 9 at the Superior Court.
The incident took a fatal turn when Rupert Rivera succumbed to his injuries at the hospital's emergency room, leading to Horton being charged with his brother's murder.
Horton is no stranger to the law. A Tier 3 sex offender, last year he was arrested for failure to comply with registration requirements for sex offenders in the Virgin Islands, and failure to comply with the Sex Offender registry, according to the V.I. Dept. of Justice.
In 2016 he was arrested and charged with third-degree burglary, grand larceny, and possession of stolen property after Horton and another suspect were identified as the persons who broke into A to Z Academy in Estate Orange Grove, Christiansted and stole electronic equipment.
