Mugshot of Miguel A. Marrero, 53. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX — A federal judge has sentenced Miguel A. Marrero, 53, to more than two decades behind bars for a 2024 shooting in which he wounded a woman and her minor daughter following a confrontation at a St. Croix housing community. The sentencing, handed down on July 2 by Senior District Judge Wilma A. Lewis, includes both federal and territorial prison time.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper, Marrero received 15 years for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and an additional 30 months for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon—both federal charges. The sentences are to be served consecutively. For the territorial charges, he was sentenced to 12.5 months for first-degree assault and four years for third-degree assault. These sentences will run concurrently with one another, but consecutively to the federal time. Upon release, Marrero will be placed on supervised release for five years.
The charges stem from a violent encounter on July 4, 2024, at the Candido Guadalupe Terrace housing community. According to court documents, the incident began when Marrero’s minor son and a female minor engaged in a physical altercation. The girl’s mother, seeing the fight unfold, rushed to the scene and confronted Marrero. A verbal altercation ensued, escalating when the woman allegedly struck Marrero in the face. Marrero then drew a firearm and shot the woman in the back. As the girl fled, Marrero shot her twice—once in the leg and once in the ankle—before fleeing the scene.
The mother’s injuries were serious enough to warrant emergency airlift for off-island treatment. The daughter survived her injuries. Authorities later confirmed that Marrero, a previously convicted felon, had a prior firearm conviction from June 7, 2000, in the District Court of the Virgin Islands.
The case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.
“This collaboration between the Virgin Islands Police Department and (VIPD) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) towards combatting violent crime on St. Croix provides an example of how this coordination can produce swift prosecutorial results against violent offenders said HSI Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Gonzalez-Ramos.”
