Crime

Suspect Accused in Killing of Denston Bacchus Allowed to Leave St. Croix for House Arrest in Florida, Beyond VIPD Control

ST. CROIX — The Superior Court of the Virgin Islands has permitted Travis Lawrence, a 36-year-old Florida resident charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal beating of 76-year-old Denston Bacchus, to leave the island and serve house arrest in Florida, where the V.I. Police Department has no jurisdiction to monitor his movements. The ruling was made by Superior Court Judge Earnest Morris, who presided over Lawrence’s probable cause hearing. According to a report from the Criminal Investigation Bureau, the incident occurred on June 15, 2025, at approximately 3:53 a.m., when the 911 Emergency Call Center received a call reporting an assault at Estate St. George in Frederiksted. When officers arrived, they learned that the victim, described as an elderly man, had been beaten unconscious and transported to the Juan Luis Hospital Emergency Department. Investigators from the VIPD Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) found the victim unconscious with severe head injuries. ...