The investigation into the murder of St. John businesssman David Geiger in his Estate grunwald home is progressing, according to V.I. Police Department officials. Long-time resident Geiger, 44, died of blunt trauma to the body after an attack in his Estate Grunwald home on October 29. His son Nathan, 14, was seriously injured in the attack.
Geigers death was the first murder on the island since Keshawn Daley, 15, was shot to death on July 12, 1999, during a Jam Band concert at Carnival Village, according to VIPD Cpl. Ivan Rampersad.
The investigation is progressing. We are very optimistic with the investigation that is happening at this particular time, VIPD spokesperson Sgt. Thomas Hannah said .
I am pleased with the way that the investigation is progressing, said VIPD Assistant Commis-sioner James McCall. Officers are working literally around the clock. We are all just as concerned as everyone else.
I have a personal interest in this case, as does the (VIPD) Commissioner, McCall continued. There is still a lot of work ahead, people to be interviewed and so forth but at this point I am pleased with the direction that the investigation is going.
Half of Murders Unsolved
Half of the six murders to occur on St. John in the last 15 years have been cleared or solved, according to V.I. Police Department records.
The Daley murder remains unsolved and no information was made available regarding the status of the investigation into that shooting.
The other unsolved homicide on St. John occurred on May 24, 1993 when Patrick McGeary, 39, was shot to death in Coral Bay.
McGeary was found dead behind Skinny Legs in Coral Bay wearing what appeared to be a dark colored mini skirt and a white tee shirt, according to a report in the May 31, 1993, issue of St. John Tradewinds.
The McGeary homicide, which has never been cleared or solved, resurfaced in the wake of reported hate crimes, including racial graffiti and a reported rape, on island this past summer.
The same day McGeary was found dead, island businessman Jeff Feldman, 42, was found dead of a gunshot wound in his Fish Bay home.
Although VIPD officials classified the death as a suicide at the time, the death was included on a VIPD-prepared list of homicides that occurred on island.
There was a typo on the Feldman case, said Cpl. Rampersad, explaining the discrepancy in listing the Feldman death as a homicide.
Feldman was found dead in his home and police recovered a .22 calibre rifle and a .22 calibre revolver in the room, according to an article in the May 31, 1993 St. John Tradewinds.
Two of the three other homicides which occurred in the past 15 years have resulted in arrests.
94 Arrest in 93 Murder
Daniel Ezekiel, 39, was shot to death in Estate Susannaberg on September 7, 1993.
James Roach and Carl Simon were arrested for the murder on May 19, 1994, but VIPD officials did not supply additional information on the case.
I do not have any information regarding their sentences or how long they are serving or have served, said Cpl. Rampersad.
VIPD officials linked Neverd-son Doway to the February 28, 1997, stabbing murder of Marcelina Corporan. Doway apparently killed Corporan, 35, in his Estate Contant home.
Neverdson Nevo Doway, 37, and his girlfriend, identified only as a Santo Domingo native named Marlina, were found dead in the lower apartment in the home overlooking Enighed Pond, according to an article about the explosion and house fire in the March 3, 1997, St. John Tradewinds.
The explosion, which was heard in Cruz Bay, created a flash fire that sent flames running up the side of the building, according to the report. There were reports that a gasoline container was found in the burned-out apartment.
Apparently Doway stabbed his girlfriend, Corporan, to death in his apartment and then set a fire in the residence causing his own death, according to VIPD records.
Shooting in Caps Place
The next St. John homicide occurred December 19, 1997, in Caps Place in Cruz Bay when Santo Elloy Garcia Villar, 38, was shot to death.
VIPD officials arrested and charged Deon Stephens with the murder. VIPD officials did not provide the date on which Stephens was arrested or how long of a sentence he served or is serving.
I do not have that information at this time, said Cpl. Rampersad. The only detail of the case provided by the VIPD is that Stephens was classified as a psycho.
However, Stephens has said that [a] Cruz Bay drug dealer pulled the trigger during a fight, according to an article which appeared in the January 19 to February 1, 1998, edition of the St. John Tradewinds.
Apparently the shooting stemmed from an argument over music on the jukebox in Caps Place which escalated into bottle throwing before the single shot was fired from close range, according to the article.
Before 1993, the last recorded homicide on island occurred on May 31, 1986, during a dancehall fight, according to VIPD records. Police later reduced the charges.
There is no statute of limitations on murder in the Virgin Islands.