Mugshots of Estefani Rodriquez and Effrail Jones, Jr. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — Police on Saturday at roughly 7:09 a.m. arrested 23-year-old Effrail Jones, Jr. and Estefani Rodriquez, age 21, both of La Grande Princesse in connection with the Sept. 13 murder of 20-year-old Reynisha Juanita Rivera. Rivera was gunned down while driving in her vehicle on the Melvin Evans Highway near the intersection at the Economic Development Authority's Industrial Park.
According to police spokesman Toby Derima, the suspects were charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, third-degree assault, carrying a firearm openly or concealed during the commission of a crime of violence, possession of ammunition, and discharging or aiming a firearm.
Officers of the Criminal Investigation and Special Operations Bureaus executed search warrants at a residence and found a firearm and ammunition. Jones and Rodriguez admitted to the shooting and killing of 20-year-old Reynisha Juanita Rivera on September 12, according to the police report.
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Bail for Jones and Rodriquez was set at $1 million each. They were unable to post bail and were turned over to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections pending their advisement hearing.
St. Croix District Chief of Police Sidney Elskoe praised detectives for their commitment to closing this case with arrests. He encourages the community to contact the VIPD with tips to help solve other open cases. “If you see, hear, or know something, please say something,” Chief Elskoe said.
