Just two milligrams of fentanyl could kill a person, according to federal officials. A St. Croix man pleaded guilty to smuggling 88,670 milligrams of the deadly synthetic opioid. (Shutterstock image)
A Virgin Islands man pleaded guilty to smuggling 88.67 grams of fentanyl into St. Croix by mail, enough to potentially kill every resident of the island, officials said Wednesday.
Mario Felix, 36, mailed a black book from Hollywood, Florida, hollowed out to conceal 800 tablets of fentanyl on Dec. 27, 2022, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Federal officers discovered the book Dec. 31 of that year and, using fingerprints and other evidence, tracked the parcel to Felix.
The total weight of fentanyl Felix smuggled came to 88.67 grams, or 88,670 milligrams. Just two milligrams of the incredibly powerful synthetic opioid can be lethal to adults, depending on body size and other factors, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The 44,335 doses were enough to potentially kill each of St. Croix’s roughly 41,000 year-round residents.
Attempted possession with intent to distribute fentanyl carries a mandatory minimum term of five years and a maximum term of 40 years of imprisonment, prosecutors said. It was not clear when Felix, who has many other arrests, might be sentenced.
In 2010, Felix pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment, destruction of property, and firearms offenses.
In 2011, federal officers charged Felix with possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, powder cocaine, and marijuana, as well as firearms charges.
In 2014, he pleaded guilty to possessing, distributing, or manufacturing a controlled substance in a deal with local prosecutors that dropped multiple firearm charges. In 2016, he pleaded no contest to tampering with a vehicle and destruction of property.
In 2020, he was charged federally with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition by a felon in a school zone.
Felix was also arrested for additional felonies in 2009, in 2011, and in 2012 but court records available online were incomplete and didn’t offer details.
With profound sadness and loving remembrance, we announce the passing of Michael Kareem Petersen, affectionately known as “Mad Man Mitch” of Soul Prophecy Sound, who departed this life on June 2, 2026, at the age of 50.Michael Kareem Petersen
Born on Nov. 5, 1975, Michael was a vibrant and unforgettable presence whose passion for music, friendship, and community left a lasting impression on everyone he encountered. His warm spirit, infectious personality, and love for entertaining made him a beloved figure throughout the Virgin Islands and beyond. Through Soul Prophecy Sounds, he shared not only music, but joy, laughter, and memories that will be cherished forever.
Michael was a devoted husband, a loyal friend, and a man who valued family above all else. He was preceded in death by his mother, Shirley McIntosh; his father, Michael A. Petersen; his grandparents, Theodora Petersen and David Petersen; his sister, Shauna Parrilla; and his uncle, David McIntosh.
He leaves to cherish his memory his beloved wife, Thamrah Gomes; his sister, Cherelyn Petersen; his aunts, Mercedes Gaskin, Elisa Harrison, Phyllis McIntosh, Cheryl McIntosh, Barbara McIntosh, Ina McIntosh, Cecilia Benjamin, and Gail McIntosh; his uncles, Thorvald McIntosh and Paul McIntosh; his mother-in-law, Gwendolyn Gomes; numerous cousins too many to mention individually; his special friends, Dave Martinez and Chef Buddy; the Reef 103.5 Family; the 100.1 FM Radio Station Family; the Twigs Ministry and Worship Center Family; the Caribbean Kidney Center; and many other relatives and friends whose lives were touched by his kindness, humor, and unwavering friendship.
A funeral service for Michael Kareem Petersen, “Mad Man Mitch,” will be held on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at Twigs Ministry and Worship Center, #1B Humbug, Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands 00820. Viewing will begin at 9 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at Kingshill Cemetery.
Although he has departed from this earthly life, Michael’s legacy of love, laughter, music, and fellowship will continue to live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered.
“Gone from our sight, but never from our hearts.”
A federal judge granted a brief continuance Thursday morning, until 1 p.m., during a sentencing hearing for Jenifer O’Neal, the former Management and Budget director who in December was convicted on charges of wire fraud, bribery and money laundering conspiracy.
O’Neal’s hearing comes two days after U.S. District Court Judge Mark Kearney sentenced her codefendant, former V.I. Police Commissioner Ray Martinez, to 10 years in prison for his role in a kickback scheme that included himself, O’Neal and David Whitaker, a cybersecurity contractor with a long history of fraud who became the government’s cooperating witness in the case against Martinez and O’Neal. Whitaker was sentenced to 22 months Wednesday.
The leadup to O’Neal’s sentencing was marked by missed deadlines and last-ditch attempts to seal her sentencing memorandum — and accompanying character letters from her supporters — which Kearney denied. On Wednesday, he ordered O’Neal and her attorney, Dale Lionel Smith, to file the materials “forthwith.”
The materials still hadn’t been filed by Thursday morning, and Kearney initially said he would only be able to rely on the presentence investigation report and the government’s sentencing memorandum in which they recommended a seven-year sentence. Kearney also said that it was “curious” that O’Neal declined to provide financial information to the probation officer who compiled the presentence report, sparking what became a heated exchange with Smith.
“You made the decision not to respond to a court request,” Kearney admonished, adding that Smith didn’t get to decide which orders to comply with. “Please don’t hurt your client any further.”
Smith and O’Neal continued to raise what they believed were important corrections to information in the presentence report that Kearney said created “a whole variety of issues,” and he later asked O’Neal if she was satisfied with her representation.
“I have issues, your honor, to be quite honest,” she said, citing previous conversations she said she’d had with Smith about the importance of meeting court deadlines. O’Neal said finding out that her sentencing memo hadn’t been filed was “a major concern.”
“How do I proceed right now? I don’t know,” she said. She eventually asked Kearney to postpone the sentencing hearing in order to resolve her issues with missing information in the presentencing report, at which point Kearney said any continuance would likely require that O’Neal be remanded into custody.
Smith told the court that “friction” between lawyers and clients is normal.
“That’s all this is,” he said. “It will be resolved, and she will be sentenced.”
The signage, and benches under the historic baobab tree in Grove Place are a tribute to Ms. Magdalene Edney and her family, who own the property. (Photo by Olasee Davis)
In 2017, the historic baobab tree in Estate Grove Place on St. Croix was impacted by Hurricane Maria. Branches were hanging off the tree due to the violent winds of the storm. In other words, the tree looked pretty beat-up. As my usual self, I wrote a protest article to the local newspaper to make the community aware of the need to save the Grove Place baobab tree. How much time, would I say it to myself — as a community, we have no patriotism when it comes to the preservation and protection of our natural and cultural resources in the Virgin Islands.
Olasee Davis, Ph.D. (Submitted photo)
Why should I care about the Virgin Islands’ natural and cultural resources? As a people, very few of us show interest in our natural surroundings. To be frank, we trash these islands with garbage all over the place, even in remote areas of the islands. It hurts me when I see our streets and roadsides trashed with garbage. As a people, we have become so accustomed to garbage and abandoned vehicles in bushes or along the roadsides, that we ourselves don’t realize that we are walking around in our own filth.
About trash in the Virgin Islands, it ended up in a book entitled, “The Remarkable Baobab,” by Thomas Pakenham, one of the world’s great photographers of trees. In 2014, I worked with Mr. Pakenham as he prepared to write about the baobab trees in the Virgin Islands, especially the trees on St. Croix. I felt bad when I took him to the baobab tree in Grove Place and saw the trash and bush surrounding this historic tree. What can I say?
It is not what I say, but what the researcher of trees said when he was taking photos of the Grove Place historic baobab tree. “But I was astonished to find that today this heroic survivor is largely ignored. Once it was a jumbie tree and a symbol of suffering and resistance. Now, apart from Olasee and his friends, no one seemed to give a damn,” wrote Pakenham. He went on and said in his book of the 300-year-old baobab tree in Grove Place, “The place was used as a rubbish dump, and the tree itself was half hidden by thorn bushes.”
In 2003, the late Dr. Robert W. Nicholls and colleagues of mine from the University of the Virgin Islands submitted a nominating paper for the Estate Grove Place baobab tree, to the National Register of Historic Trees. He and I took it upon ourselves that the Grove Place baobab tree is valuable enough to be a national historic tree among our nation’s historic trees and the world. For about 300 years, the tree witnessed history from enslaved laborers, the plantation workers, Emancipation of 1848, the 1878 Fireburn with sugarcane workers, and in 1915 when the labor union was established — all under the Grove Place baobab tree.
Every year, we celebrate D. Hamilton Jackson on Nov. 1 to honor Jackson for the freedom of the press for us Virgin Islanders. It was Oct. 15, 1915 when an issue of The Herald was published and a bull was slaughtered and roasted, and the public feasted on it under the very same baobab tree in Grove Place.
Nevertheless, we got a letter back from American Forests on whether the baobab tree in Grove Place could be one of the nation’s historic trees. Here are a few sentences from the American Forests National Register of Historic Trees in reference to the baobab tree in Grove Place:
“Once that is finalized, forestry personnel will physically visit the tree, verify the species, and take official measurements. Photography will be obtained based on the publisher’s instructions. Thank you for taking your time to make us aware of this notable tree, Sincerely Sheila T. Pursley, Project Coordinator, National Register of Historic Trees.”
As a result of the late Dr. Nicholls and my effort, the Grove Place baobab tree was listed as a National Register of Historic Trees in our nation and the Virgin Islands. It is the only tree that I know of in the Virgin Islands to be on the National Register of Historic Trees.
A family photo of the late Magdalene Edney.
In late fall of 2025, a colleague, Vanessa Forbes from the School of Agriculture, University of the Virgin Islands contacted me about a gentleman who’d contacted her from Grove Place, concerned about the baobab tree’s health. I got in contact with the gentleman. From there, I contacted Alma Winkfield, vice president of the Virgin Islands Trail Alliance of which I am a member, to consider making the Grove Place baobab a tree project. Then, we got in contact with the landowner, Ms. Magdalene Edney. With her permission, we told her the V.I. Trail Alliance would remove the termites and the bees from this historic tree. We also told her that we would like to install benches and a sign giving the botanical history and cultural history of the Grove Place baobab tree.
Believe me, Ms. Edney was all excited about the tree project. All expenses of the baobab tree project in Grove Place were paid for by the Virgin Islands Trail Alliance organization, to install the benches, signage and painting of poles along the road near the tree. However, my heart was broken when I learned that Ms. Edney passed away. She never got a chance to see the baobab tree project completed. The signage and benches under the historic baobab tree in Grove Place are a tribute to Ms. Magdalene Edney and her family.
The tree project signage gives recognition to all who contributed to make it possible to save the Grove Place baobab tree. It is projects like this that give me hope and comfort to know that there are still people in the Virgin Islands’ community that care for the natural and cultural resources of these islands.
— Olasee Davis is a bush professor who lectures and writes about the culture, history, ecology and environment of the Virgin Islands when he is not leading hiking tours of the wild places and spaces of St. Croix and beyond.Editor’s Note: Opinion articles do not represent the views of the Virgin Islands Source newsroom and are the sole expressed opinion of the writer. Submissions can be made to visource@gmail.com.
David Whitaker, left, leaves the federal courthouse with attorney David Cattie after a sentencing hearing Wednesday on St. Thomas. (Source photo by Kit MacAvoy)
A federal judge Wednesday sentenced convicted felon, cybersecurity contractor and star witness David Whitaker to 22 months in prison for his role in a bribery scheme that roiled the territory and led to multiple high-profile resignations and convictions.
Whitaker pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of bribery in September 2024, roughly one year after he began cooperating with federal investigators. The first wire fraud count stems from a more than $130,000 bill Whitaker sent to VIPD after his company, Mon Ethos Pro Support, was hired to sweep government offices for listening devices or “bugs.” Whitaker has admitted to planting most of the devices himself. The second wire fraud charge came from false statements Whitaker made to the U.S. Small Business Administration in order to secure a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan in February 2021.
The bribery charge stemmed from payments Whitaker began making to former V.I. Police Commissioner Ray Martinez “so that he would stop working on his restaurant during work hours and pay my invoices,” according to his testimony during Martinez and former Management and Budget Director Jenifer O’Neal’s trial in December.
Wednesday’s sentencing hearing began with a lengthy sidebar during which Alexandre Dempsey, a trial attorney with the U.S. Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, and David Cattie, Whitaker’s attorney, apparently conveyed to U.S. District Court Judge Mark Kearney that it was Martinez who roped Whitaker into the scheme and not the other way around. When introducing the government’s 22-month sentencing recommendation, Dempsey said that it had been suggested both in court and in public that it was Whitaker who came to the U.S. Virgin Islands to instigate fraud.
“The United States does not believe that to be the case,” Dempsey said, adding that it was also a matter of record that Martinez was aware of a separate kickback arrangement between Whitaker, businessman Benjamin Hendricks and former Sports, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Calvert White. Whitaker, Dempsey said, heard Martinez’s “veiled request for a bribe and took him up on it.”
Kearney later apologized to Whitaker directly.
“I read you as being the solicitor,” he said, adding that he now understood that it was Martinez who saw and exploited an opportunity to use Whitaker.
The admission came less than a day after Kearney sentenced Martinez to 10 years in prison and expressed bewilderment that Martinez — once the territory’s highest ranking law enforcement officer — hadn’t looked into Whitaker’s well-documented criminal history before taking bribes and colluding with him to skim from inflated invoices submitted under a federally funded contract. Whitaker said Wednesday that people in the Virgin Islands, including Martinez, were well aware of his criminal past because he told them about it.
Dempsey acknowledged Whitaker’s history but noted that Whitaker quickly confessed when confronted and said that Whitaker had performed every action asked of him after he agreed to work with federal investigators.
“He is as cooperative as a cooperator can be,” Dempsey said.
Cattie, who asked Kearney for a sentence of home confinement because of Whitaker’s cooperation and health issues, also noted that Martinez, O’Neal, White and Hendricks chose to deny and fight the charges against them. In a sentencing memorandum filed last week, Cattie also pointed out that Whitaker was only charged with “corrupt conduct” related to Martinez. His interactions with O’Neal, White and Hendricks all happened after he began cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Without that cooperation, it’s unlikely that the three former cabinet members and Hendricks would have been convicted.
“Suffice it to say, I do find that your assistance was substantial,” Kearney told Whitaker at one point.
Cattie argued that the benefit of Whitaker’s cooperation went beyond the four convictions because it acts as a deterrent for the next government official who may be thinking about taking a bribe in a territory where public corruption is widely perceived as pervasive and difficult to prove.
“It’s the whisper. It’s the wink,” he said, but Whitaker “brought that to light.”
Addressing the court, Whitaker once again admitted to the false invoices, the PPP fraud and the bribes. People were already worried about whether their government is working for them, he said, “and I added to it.”
“I knew better and I did it anyway,” he said. “The hard question is why I did it again.”
Whitaker, who was free on $250,000 bail and has been living in Georgia while he awaited sentencing, told the court that when he arrived in the territory, he left behind the people in his life who held him accountable and that he let Martinez’s position as police commissioner “carry too much weight.”
“I did wrong. I know better. I failed. I’m sorry,” he said, adding that he was ready to face the consequences.
The court also heard from Anthony Thomas, a former V.I. Property and Procurement commissioner who later took a position at Mon Ethos and who was appointed chief administrative officer of the V.I. Water and Power Authority in late 2024. Thomas asked for leniency and spoke more broadly about the need for accountability and institutional guardrails.
“No one should be above accountability. Public trust is a sacred responsibility,” he said. Kearney said later that it would be unfair for anyone to compare Whitaker’s sentence with those imposed on Martinez, O’Neal and White.
“They took an oath to serve,” he said. “They were trusted.”
Following his incarceration, Whitaker faces three years of supervised release, including six months of home confinement. He was ordered to pay $600,000 in restitution and given until Jan. 2, 2027 to surrender so that he can make arrangements for a person for whom Whitaker is a caretaker.
O’Neal’s sentencing is set for 9 a.m. Thursday at the federal court on St. Thomas.
Editor’s Note: Reporter Grayton Goldsmith contributed to this reporting.
Former V.I. Management and Budget Director Jenifer O’Neal is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday at the federal courthouse on St. Thomas. (Source photo by Kit MacAvoy)
O’Neal’s attorney, Dale Lionel Smith, emailed the request and letters directly to the court Monday. In a motion filed Tuesday, he wrote that the “letter writers were assured that their letters would be read only by the court and parties and not placed on the public docket.”
“The letters contain personal and identifying information of the writers and the contents of the letters are inseparable from the memorandum,” according to Smith. The memo also references information that remains under a judicial protective order, “and the information should remain that way” in case O’Neal is granted a new trial “in this very small community.”
U.S. District Court Judge Mark Kearney denied the 11th-hour motion to seal O’Neal’s “long overdue” memo Wednesday and wrote that he did not find “a basis to preclude public access for issues required to be resolved in the public courtroom” after reviewing the documents and letters himself. He ordered O’Neal to file the materials “forthwith” — emphasis his — including her “request for variance with the proffered letters of support (if she wishes our consideration), redacting only street addresses of persons providing letters of support.”
Those documents had not appeared on the public docket by Wednesday evening.
O’Neal’s sentencing comes two days after that of her codefendant, former V.I. Police Commissioner Ray Martinez, and a day after that of David Whitaker, a cybersecurity contractor who became a government witness. Martinez and Whitaker both filed sentencing requests and multiple letters of support from friends, family and supporters ahead of their own sentencing hearings. Kearney regularly tells defendants during such hearings that he appreciates and values the letters when considering what sentence to impose.
The government has recommended a seven-year term of incarceration for O’Neal along with a $100,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
“The conduct at issue was calculated, deliberate, and grounded in greed, self-interest, and a complete betrayal of the public trust,” wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Cherrisse Amaro and Alexandre Dempsey, a trial attorney with the U.S. Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, last week.
O’Neal and Martinez resigned in June 2024 after federal investigators seized their phones and other materials amid an investigation into their dealings with Whitaker and his company, Mon Ethos Pro Support. Both were indicted in January 2025. Separately, former V.I. Sports, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Calvert White and businessman Benjamin Hendricks were indicted at the same time for selling a $2.1 million contract to Mon Ethos for the promise of a $16,000 kickback.
Costumed masqueraders in vibrant feathers and animal print dazzle the crowd during the 2024 St. John Celebration Adults’ Parade. (Photo by Trini Jungle)
Social media fans got a preview of the highlights to come from the 2026 St. John Celebration on Wednesday. Division of Festivals Director Ian Turnbull and St. John Administrator Shikima Jones-Sprauve hosted a livestream presentation around noon, hoping to entice residents and visitors to join the fete.
Shortly after the hosts wrapped up the hourlong announcement, bucket trucks appeared near Franklin Powell Sr. Park, stringing pennants overhead ahead of the first event — Pan-O-Rama. Turnbull called the livestream presentation a first for the Division of Festivals as it finds new ways to engage the public.
“It’s a labor of love,” the director said. “St. John is the culmination of all three (major USVI festivals), and it’s a representation of our Emancipation Day.”
Like its counterpart events — springtime on St. Thomas and Christmas season on St. Croix — St. John combines culture, music, food, and pageantry over several days leading up to V.I. Emancipation Day and U.S. Independence Day. This year’s theme is “History and Collaboration with a Musical Mix.”
The mix starts stirring on Sunday when seven steel pan bands are set to perform along the roadway bordering Powell Park. “We’re back in our original spot,” said Division of Festivals Assistant Director Leona Smith. Scheduled performers include Yard Vybes, Gen Fusion, Ulla Muller Elementary School Panatics, St. Thomas All Stars, Superior Court Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra, Love City Pan Dragons, and Pan in Motion.
One week after the kickoff, the celebration turns to pageantry with the Royalty Show; three contestants — Liandra Dagou, Alauna Petersen, and Elizabeth Ferrell — compete for the title of Miss St. John on stage in the Cruz Bay Parking Lot, starting at 6 p.m.
Winners of the night’s competitions will be crowned days later at one of Celebration’s most popular events — the Food Fair on June 21. This year’s honoree, Jennifer Williams, will share the spotlight that day. Williams is best known for her homemade pastries and her work as a volunteer supporting Celebration events. “Pastries are her main focus. She works on the committee as well, making johnny cakes,” Smith said.
The next honoree for 2026 will be honored as Celebration Village opens June 28. St. John songbird Tishelle Knight, whose voice has enchanted fans in live performances and recordings as part of Cool Sessions Brass, is expected to snip the ribbon, officially setting off a week of live music.
And former St. John educator Lisa Penn has been named Grand Marshal to lead the festive finale of the fete — the St. John July Fourth Parade.
An inside view of Fort Christian. (Source file photo)
On Tuesday evening, the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources’ Division of Libraries, Archives, and Museums hosted a Microsoft Teams virtual town hall to gather community input on the design for the future of exhibits and visitor experiences at Fort Christian Museum on St. Thomas, marking an early step in a larger effort to reimagine the historic site. About 15 people were present.
Officials emphasized that the project is still in its conceptual phase and no date is set for the redesign. The department is hoping to gather feedback that upholds the perspectives and experiences of the people of the territory, dating back, of course, to colonial times.
Sean L. Krigger, director and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, said “that orientation is going to be critical,” highlighting the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. “So we have a story to tell in terms of that history and those connections.”
“As you know, Fort Christian’s a historic treasure. It’s the oldest standing structure in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and it’s an icon that draws many people every year,” said main presenter, Monica Marin, Libraries, Archives and Museums chief curator.
The clock tower, chapel, and rooftop remain some of its unique architectural features. However, officials want solutions to challenges with the current design.
“The fort is mostly unconditioned in a salt sprayed, hot, and humid environment. Not all areas of the fort are accessible to those with mobility challenges. It’s also subject to storms. All these factors need to be considered when thinking about the visitor experience,” added Marin.
DPNR secured $500,000 in federal funding for the current planning phase, with additional grants needed to support future exhibit fabrication and installation. The funding is from the United States Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, under the Public Works & Economic Development Act of 1965 Award No. F2163. The funding will be shared with Fort Frederik. The department also contracted museum design firm Howard + Revis to assist with exhibit planning and development. Community feedback collected during the evening’s meeting and in surveys will help guide the ideas for seeking additional funding for the design and implementation. The survey will be open until Monday, July 6, for community input and feedback, but organizers are pushing to get responses by Wednesday, June 17.
Throughout the town hall, participants were introduced to a series of proposed exhibit themes that reflect the rich and complex history of the Virgin Islands. These topics include indigenous histories, migration and movement throughout the Caribbean, colonialism, resistance, emancipation, labor struggles, cultural creativity, environmental stewardship, and the transfer of the Virgin Islands from Danish to American control.
“Our three core groups of people are educational purposes, so students, visitors, and local residents,” said Marin.
Project planners also stressed the importance of centering local voices and perspectives. They questioned participants for their feedback on implementing 3D site models, mahogany furniture and artifact displays, tactile and touchstone props, special art shows or changing exhibits, and reinstating gift shops.
“Many areas of the fort will not be accessible by wheelchair users or those with physical limitations,” said Marin, so improvements in this area are welcomed, with suggestions for a phone or tablet-based digital tour. Audio stations, rotating exhibitions, and immersive projections were among the ideas discussed, as was an interest in commissioning local artists to create original, live-action works that help interpret Virgin Islands history and culture.
One participant, Edney Freeman, asked if and how St. John’s influence will be included and also questioned the “maroon community’s” inclusion. Marin responded that the 1733 uprising and the battery at Fortsberg will be highlighted at Fort Christian, along with the territorial marooning experiences.
“We want to emphasize that this is not by any means a final plan, but rather a starting place to better understand what you like, what you don’t like, and what you hope to see at the forts and as part of the larger interpretive narrative,” added Marin.
The meeting also explored a variety of potential exhibit strategies designed to create a more immersive and accessible visitor experience. Proposed features include augmented-reality tours, virtual access to areas inaccessible to visitors with mobility challenges, interactive touch exhibits, digital archives, oral-history recording stations, and immersive projections that bring historical events to life.
Throughout the discussion, DPNR leaders emphasized that community involvement is essential to the project’s success. Feedback gathered from residents, historians, educators, cultural bearers, and stakeholders will help determine which stories are prioritized and how they are presented.
A document of the virtual presentation can be found here.
Tessa Fedel Richards, of Frederiksted St. Croix, passed on April 15. She was 60 years old.
Tessa Fedel Richards
She was preceded by her stepfather, Charles Gomez; grandmother, Inez Krause; aunt, Miriam Krause; uncles, Michael Warner, and John Richards.
She is survived by mother, Claire Richards; sister, Felisha Krause; aunts, Alfreda Warner, Lorraine Richards, Palmyra Benjamin, Gerda Bayter, Genevieve Richards Wright, Beatrice Harris, Sandra Howell, Denise Smittl, Greta Richards, Fran Gomez; uncles, Jurone Krause, Irving Warner, Pentheny Warner, Stephen Richards, Roy Richards; cousins, Raymond, Alonzo, Jason, Erika, Yasmeen, Jordan, Payton, Kendell, Kaden, Kiara, Brandon, Danielle, Madison, Riley, Samiyah, Byrson, Alexandra, Christian, Katherine, Steven, Lois, Bridgette, Daien, Kristal, Stacy, Anthony, Jason R, Paul, Alexandria, Devere, Dioris, Rukiya, Steven, Jarrod, Rashaad, Ryan, Liam, Camille, Madison, Anthony R Jr, Zion, Angela, Justin, Jhace, Jae, Ivan, Ja’nohn, Saniya, Paige, Reiqn, Casen, Zander, Lola, Benjamin, Dante and Rhylee.
Funeral service will be held on June 18 at James Memorial Chapel. Service begins at 10 am. Interment will be held at Schusters Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to James Memorial Funeral Home, Inc.
Steve M. Parris, affectionately known as Piggy, passed away on May 28, 2026 at the age of 62.Steve M. Parris
He is survived by his wife, Joan Parris; children, Michael, Vanessa, Keithroy, Illyssa, and Jaliik Parris; grandchildren, Michael Parris, Jr., Iyana Hodge, Gerard “Lil G” Barno, Jr., Sanai, Saniece, Devante, Gavin, and Ochean Parris; mother, Laurene Dore; stepfather, Winston Dore; brothers, Vernon Parris, Terry Iles, Brian Dore, Terry Harris and Jerry Harris; sisters, Denise Parris; Catherine, Shanie and Denesha Dore; Magdelen “Amythist” Sargeant; Bernadette Jeffers; Jessica Matthew; Marsha Frith Ali; Vera Lawrence-Brandy; and Nestrelda “Jessica” Nisbett; aunts, Cynthia Bartlette; Oretha “Rita” Deshalto; Violet Doute’; and Cavelle Sealey; cousins, Brenda Simmonds; Sherylyn “Shay” Bartlette; Bernard “Bully” Bartlette; Orville “Kembo” Bartlette; and Alphonso “Tazzie” Bartlette (Nevis); Aaron and Melvin Deshalto; Aimee Doute’; Aaron, Leroy, Joseph, and Varnell “Pablo” Merchant; Sister-in-law, Cheryl Parris; Andrea George; Voice-eve Williams; and Avon Henry; Brother-in-law, Joseph Nisbett and Alphonso Henry
All other family members are too numerous to mention.
A viewing will take place on Thursday, June 18 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Postell’s Mortuary, located at 811 North Powers Drive, Orlando, FL 32818. The funeral service will be held at Northwest Church Orlando, 5495 Clarcona Ocoee Rd on Friday, June 19, viewing will begin at 10 a.m. followed by the funeral service at 11 a.m.
In honor of Steve’s vibrant spirit and joyful personality, family and friends are encouraged to wear festive colors as we celebrate his life and honor his memory.
