From left to right, Ozanie I. Cornelius and Ricardo Richards. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — The V.I. Police Department announced Friday night that one of two suspects in the Jan. 17 homicides of two minors in Castle Coakley was arrested without incident, while the second suspect's whereabouts was unknown.
According to V.I.P.D. Director of Communications Glen Dratte, at 6:15 a.m. Friday members of the Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Special Operations Bureau traveled to #136 Old Castle Coakley, Christiansted and executed both a search and an arrest warrant.
Suspect Ozanie I. Cornelius, age 27, was arrested without incident and his residence was searched, according to police. Detectives also executed a search warrant on the address of the second suspect of this investigation, 25-year-old Ricardo Richards, and an arrest warrant has been obtained.
“This case stems from the January 17, 2022, murders of Odonnie Heywood and Jah’ny Ledesma both 17-years-old, who were shot multiple times while driving through Old Castle Coakley. They were stopped and approached by Cornelius and Richards who were both heavily armed, Cornelius with a handgun and Richards with a high-powered rifle," stated Chief Detective, Lt. Naomi Joseph.
She added, “There were also similarly armed individuals on top of the two-story building in the area, and they all opened fire on the vehicle containing two minors and the adult driver. We collected over two hundred spent casings from the crime scene and the majority was from a high-powered rifle. Mr. Richards also sought medical attention for a gunshot wound that night, however claimed that he was shot at Thomas Bakery in Old Castle Coakley. The minors died instantly, and the adult survived from the multiple gunshot wounds that he sustained."
According to the V.I.P.D., the warrant was signed by a V.I. Superior Court judge.
Cornelius was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, carrying or using a dangerous weapon during the commission of a crime of violence, and unauthorized possession of a firearm.
Unable to post bail of $2.5 million, Cornelius was remanded to the John Bell Correctional Facility pending his advisement hearing scheduled for Monday, Aug. 29.
The V.I.P.D. is asking anyone with information about the double homicide to call the CIB Tip-line 340-778-4850, 340-712-6092, or send an anonymous tip to Crime stoppers USVI here.
