There are more suspects in the David Geiger murder than the two men identified by V.I. Police Department officials, according to a private corporate counter-intelligence and security investigator hired by local residents to investigate the crime. Long time St. John builder, painter and well-liked sailor David Geiger, 43, was bludgeoned to death and his body set on fire in his Estate Grunwald home in the early morning hours of October 29.
GeigerÂ’s 14-year-old son Nathan was severely beaten in the attack. Nathan is recovering from treatment in Puerto Rico for serious injuries.
Arrest warrants were issued November 17 for Renell Lettsome and Tullius Stewart in connection with the murder case, VIPD Commissioner Elton Lewis announced at a November 21 press conference.
Lettsome is wanted for first degree murder, attempted murder, first degree assault, third-degree assault, arson and using a weapon during the commission of a crime of violence which occurred on October 29.
Stewart was wanted for grand larceny and possession of stolen property in an incident which police said occurred on October 23 – six days before the attack on Geiger and his son – reportedly involving the theft of $50,000 from Geiger’s house while he was off-island and a young woman was house-sitting.
Additional Suspects
There are other suspects in addition to Lettsome and Stewart, according to the private investigator.
“There are multiple suspects beyond the two men who have arrest warrants,” said Dunleavy, who would not comment further.
VIPD Commissioner Lewis mentioned “persons of interest” at the November 21 press conference.
“Based on this on-going active investigation we have several other persons of interest that we hope to secure warrants for,” said Commissioner Lewis.
The police commissioner would not provide the names of the two to four individuals.
After the murder, rumors quickly spread around the island that VIPD officials did not secure the crime scene and refused Federal Bureau of Investigation assistance in the investigation.
VIPD Deputy Chief Angelo Hill previously denied both allegations but concerned residents secured the services of Michael Dunleavy, president of Florida-based C2 Intelligence and Training, Inc. to conduct a private investigation of the Geiger case.
Citizens Concerned
“We were hired by private citizens to come down and investigate the crime because of their concern about the lack of expertise and quality of the VIPD,” said Dunleavy. The private investigator confirmed reports on events leading up to the attack reported to St. John Tradewinds by friends of the victims.
Geiger was off island before the attack and a young female friend was house-sitting for him, according to friends. When Geiger returned from his trip, he discovered a large amount of cash was missing from his home, the friend added.
Coral Bay Confrontation
On Wednesday, October 26, Geiger, who did not believe the house-sitter took his money, visited the Coral Bay family home of the individual whom he suspected of taking the cash, the victimÂ’s friend explained.
“He (Geiger) went looking for who stole his money and his actions could have contributed to the result of his murder,” said Dunleavy.
Lettsome and the young woman who house-sat for Geiger while he was off-island have a young child together.
Robbery was the motive for the murder, according to VIPD Commissioner Lewis.
“Money was taken – robbery was the motive (for the murder),” said Commissioner Lewis at the press conference. “Based on the totality of the circumstances, robbery was the motive.”
Robbery is defined as “theft of something from a person by use of violence or threat,” according to The Merriam Webster Dictionary.
“It wasn’t robbery – it was theft,” said Dunleavy.
If the house-sitter allowed someone into the home who took the money, it would be considered theft which is defined as “the act of stealing,” according to The Merriam Webster Dictionary.
Investigator Scheduled to Leave
The private investigator and an assistant, who arrived on St. John on November 4, were scheduled to return to Florida on Wednesday, November 23, Dunleavy explained.
“We were hired on a time basis and we did it in blocks and now we are at another juncture,” he said. “We have met our goals that we initially set – it’s now up to the clients.”
“There are plenty of leads for us to follow up on, but it depends on what our clients want us to do,” added Dunleavy.
