Two men fought in Villa La Reine Tuesday afternoon. When it was over, one was dead and the other in custody.
The victim was identified by the V.I. Police Department as 49-year-old Findlay Collymore. It was the seventh homicide on St. Croix since the beginning of the year, the 15th in the territory.
At about 4:25 p.m. Tuesday, a citizen called the 911 emergency call center to report that a man was lying in the roadway by Villa La Reine in the Kingshill area. At the scene, police met with 60-year-old Francis “Ducky” Vanterpool, who told them he and Collymore had been “under the vegetable market” in Villa La Reine, when Collymore assaulted him with a wooden plank, hitting him on the head and other places across the body.
Vanterpool told police he was able to get to a bottle, which he broke and used to stab Collymore in the chest. Collymore crossed the street and dropped to the ground in front of the Ann Schrader Police Command, where he died.
Vanterpool was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, third-degree assault and possession of a dangerous weapon. His bail was set at $1 million by a Superior Court judge. He was remanded to the Golden Grove Detention Center pending a Wednesday advise of rights hearing.