Mugshot of Malik Iles. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
The V.I. Dept. of Justice has announced that a Superior Court judge found 22-year-old Malik Iles guilty of murder for a shooting on January 11, 2020, that left 34-year-old Ray Thomas dead — in what was the first homicide in the USVI that year.
The trial before Judge Douglas Brady began on July 25, 2022, in V.I. Superior Court on St, Croix. On Wednesday, Iles was found guilty on 5 counts of a seven-count Information: second-degree murder, first-degree assault, unauthorized possession of a firearm, discharging or aiming firearms, and possession of ammunition.
The D.O.J. prosecution team proved that on January 11, 2020, in the vicinity of Estate Sion Farm, St. Croix, Iles unlawfully and with malice aforethought, did, with willful and deliberate design, kill Ray Thomas with a firearm, according to the release.
According to court documents, on that day in 2020, the 911 Emergency Call Center received a report at about 2:38 a.m. Saturday of shots fired at a residence in Estate Sion Farm. Police assigned to investigate, upon arrival discovered blood running down from the front porch of the house and .45 caliber spent casings with nearby damaged projectiles. A black male, later identified as Ray Thomas, was found lying on the porch with gunshot wounds about the body. His body was transported to the Juan F. Luis Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
According to the D.O.J., based upon information from a confidential source, Iles became a person of interest. Police traveled to the Barren Spot residence where they contacted Iles and transported him to the Police Administration Building for questioning.
A warrant was signed by Judge Harold Willocks to allow a search of the Barren Spot residence. During the search of the home, an empty box for .45 caliber rounds was recovered. It was determined that the box was for the same brand and caliber of cartridges recovered from the scene of the crime. A blood-stained t-shirt was also found in a nearby garbage bin located in Sion Farm in the vicinity of the crime scene. DNA swabs collected from the t-shirt indicated that the blood was that of the deceased, Ray Thomas.
Other evidence indicated the t-shirt was worn by Malik Iles. After collecting further evidence, statements from witnesses, and family members police traveled back to the Barren Spot residence and placed Iles under arrest at 6:23 pm.
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