Four of five people accused of murdering V.I. Police Officer Wendell Williams appeared briefly before V.I. Superior Court Judge Julio Brady on Thursday before Brady continued the detention hearing, saying two defendants lacked legal representation and no new details of the evidence against the accused were revealed.
The date for the new hearing has not yet been set, but will be next week, Brady said.
Sharima Clercent, 32, of Estate Two Williams; Jose G. Ventura, 41, of Estate Whim; and Maximiliano Velasquez, 38, of Estate Clifton Hill were arrested Feb. 9 on St. Croix on charges related to Williams’ disappearance on June 13, 2001. Juan G. Velasquez, 29, surrendered to V.I. police the same day.
The four suspects who appeared before Brady remain in custody. Jose M. Rivera Jr., 39, was arrested last week in Georgia and awaits extradition.
They are each being held on $1.5 million bail at the Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility pending court proceedings. Thursday’s detention hearing was to decide whether or not to allow bail, or to hold the suspects without bail, pending trial.
As soon as the hearing commenced, Brady said it must be continued because two defendants did not have legal counsel. Two attorneys were not able to make it to the island in time for the hearing, Brady said.
The law only allows pre-trial detention without bail for individuals charged with first-degree murder, the judge said. "It is the crime that carries the ultimate penalty – which is life in prison in the Virgin Islands," Brady said.
"In most U.S. states, this would be a capital offense. But in the Virgin Islands, life in prison without parole is the ultimate penalty," so Brady said it was especially important, given the stakes, that the defendants have proper representation before making that decision.
While waiting for Brady to appear, Jose Ventura and Juan Velazquez sat in the back row of the defendant’s box in the courtroom. Maximiliano Velazquez sat by himself in the front row of the defendants’ box, grim-faced and silent.
A teenage boy was escorted out of the courtroom when he disobeyed orders from V.I. Superior Court marshals to sit down and be quiet.
The police arrest notice does not say if the defendants are related, but published birth and death notices show St. Croix has a Velasquez family with brothers and half-brothers named Jose Ventura, Maximiliano Velasquez and Juan Velazquez. Both surnames are common on St. Croix.
Clercent sat next to her attorney at the defense counsel’s table, quietly looking down at the floor throughout the proceedings. She remained silent until the end of the hearing. Then while being led from the courtroom, Clercent broke down, sobbing and crying as she walked out a side-door to return to her cell.
Brady did not set a date to continue the detention hearing, but told defense and prosecuting attorneys he would try to schedule it before Tuesday.
