The murder trial of three men accused of killing a woman in her north shore St. Croix home and a spate of other crimes in 1997 began in earnest in District Court Tuesday.
On Monday, a jury of nine woman and three men was picked to determine whether three young men shot and killed Janet Morgan, 49, while they were burglarizing her Estate Belvedere residence just before 1 a.m. on Feb. 24, 1997. Arrested in early May of this year for Morgan’s death were Bryan Felix, Remy Augustin and Lestroy Bright.
On Tuesday, federal prosecutors began laying the foundation for their case by detailing the armed robbery of the Off the Wall bar, 12 days before Morgan’s murder and not far from her home. The murder culminated a string of crimes allegedly committed by the men in February 1997. Prosecutors accuse the trio of the robbery of the Off the Wall bar; the armed robbery of Chocolate Barbecue in Estate St. John on Feb. 18, 1997; and the armed robbery of Saibaba Gift Shop in Christiansted on Feb. 21, 1997.
In addition to the three men, Michael King was charged in the robbery of Chocolate Barbecue. King, however, struck a deal with prosecutors and will testify against his former accomplices.
In court Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bruce Marshack and Ernest Batenga attempted to establish that the Off the Wall bar is frequented by tourists, making the armed robbery a federal offense because it interfered with interstate commerce.
Objections by court-appointed defense attorneys Ronald Russell, Jomo Meade and Martial Webster regarding that issue were overruled by Chief District Court Judge Raymond Finch.
Candia Atwater, a patron of Off the Wall the evening it was robbed, and bartender Ricky Wheelock took the witness stand and recounted the crime. Atwater identified Bright as the man who pointed a small pistol at her and then took her jewelry and pocket book.
She said she followed Bright and a second man as they ran to a car, which she managed to get the license plate number of. The car was subsequently found to belong to Augustin.
Expected to take the stand later in the trial is well-known St. Croix veterinarian Dr. Paul Hess. Before Morgan was shot in the chest as the trio were burglarizing the home, Hess, her common-law husband, was shot in the leg.
On Monday, defense attorney Russell intimated that Hess could have been involved in the murder and that his testimony should not be taken for granted.
The trial is scheduled to resume Wednesday at 9:30 in District Court.
