April 28, 2009 — The death of Superior Court Judge Francis D'Eramo is being called an "apparent suicide," pending the completion of the autopsy report and the police investigation into the death.
According to a statement from V.I. Attorney General Vincent F. Frazer, the findings of the preliminary investigation, including an inspection of D'Eramo's residence at the Schooner Bay Condominiums and the results of the autopsy, were consistent with suicide by hanging.
Sara Lezama, the public information officer for the Department of Justice, would not say whether a note had been found.
"The investigation will be fully complete once we get a complete autopsy report," she said.
Territorial Medical Examiner Dr. Francisco Landron performed the autopsy Monday.
"We are waiting on the report from Dr. Landron," Lezama said. "We want him to take his time and make his report complete, given the high profile of this case."
"Aside from the position of the body, there were no signs of a struggle or forced entry, and the finding of the autopsy was consistent wth suicide," she said Tuesday.
D'Eramo was last seen Saturday evening. His body was discovered at approximately 8:30 a.m. Monday by a marshal who had gone to his home because the judge was late for work.
According to Lezama, the judge lived alone. He shared joint custody of his daughters with his ex-wife.
The judgment of "apparent suicide" will remain "until we can put the lid on that and say everything is done and this is the official finding," she said.
Frazer emphasized that "contrary to rumor and speculation, Judge D'Eramo's death does not appear to be linked in any way to the murder trial which he was set to preside over." He continued, "Furthermore, I would also like to dispel any additional false rumors indicating that any witnesses connected to the case may also have been harmed. This simply is not true. All of the government's witnesses in this case are safe and accounted for."
Frazer asked the community to be mindful and respectful of D'Eramo's family, as well as the Superior Court staff that worked closely with him.
"The loss of Judge D'Eramo is a crippling blow not only to the community but also the Virgin Islands Bar Association of which he was a member, and to the Superior Court bench on which he faithfully strived for justice," Frazer said.
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