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Second Cockayne Suspect Charged with Witness Intimidation

Aug. 7, 2007 — Another person has been arrested in the St. John murder of 21-year-old Jamie Cockayne: Ryan Meade, 31, of St. John, was charged with witness intimidation, V.I. Police Commissioner James McCall announced Tuesday.
Cockayne, who had recently moved to St. John, was stabbed to death some time after midnight on June 19 in downtown Cruz Bay. Police arrested 18-year-old Kamal "Six Pack" Thomas Friday, charging him with first-degree murder, first-degree assault and using a dangerous weapon during the commission of a crime of violence.
Thomas went before V.I. Superior Court Judge Leon Kendall Monday for an advice-of-rights hearing. Kendall said a pre-trial detention hearing would be scheduled within the next three days. Meantime, Thomas is being held at the Golden Grove Correctional Facility on St. Croix.
McCall announced the second arrest during a Tuesday press conference called to answer media questions about the high-profile case. Meade went before Kendall Tuesday morning and was released to his parents' custody on an unsecured $10,000 surety bond. Meade's role was peripheral to the case; he is not being accused in the murder, McCall said.
Attending the conference in addition to local media were Cockayne's parents, Jeanie and Bill, along with their surviving son, Jeff. The Cockaynes have maintained to the national media that V.I. police are not updating them on information about their son's death.
Under questioning about the release of information, McCall was clear on police policy. He said the Police Department does not release information that might impede an ongoing investigation. Asked about stateside police procedures, McCall — who has an extensive investigative stateside background — said that is the procedure on the mainland.
"I know this is traumatic,” McCall said. “I can imagine the agony the parents must be going through, and we will make information available as we can. The police and the Attorney General have kept in regular communication (with the Cockaynes), and we will continue to do that. Our goal in this case — in any case — is to obtain justice for the victim, and to prosecute the criminals."
The parents, in nationally televised reports, have said they want federal investigators on the case. McCall said Tuesday federal investigators have been on the case since its inception.
"Our policy is to alert federal officials, the FBI, the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms), the Safe Street Task Force, the Justice Department, ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement), local and U.S. marshals’ offices, the lottery office, whatever we need."
He added, "We will utilize the other agencies. However, the final decision is always the police department."
McCall announced that police have identified another person of interest, Anselmo Boston. He did not elaborate further.
Court documents show Meade, the second person arrested, has an extensive rap sheet. He has been arrested 13 times since 1998 on charges ranging from aggravated assault and battery, robbery, inciting a riot, possible controlled substances, cocaine and marijuana to a couple of simple assaults and disturbing the peace. In 1996, he was also arrested for witness intimidation.
According to the document, Meade has never served time. The court dispositions shows time and again: “dismissed,” “no known disposition” or “no prosecution.” He once was fined $50 and given 30 days in jail, with all but time served suspended. How much time he had served is not noted.
In this case, Meade stands accused of threatening a person who, on July 31, provided information to the police on the murder in Cruz Bay, according to the arresting document. Thomas is also accused of threatening the same person, a charge that will be considered at his next hearing.
After the press briefing, the Cockaynes still contended that they were not being informed of progress in the investigation. "McCall said he would call us when they had an arrest," Jeanie Cockayne said.
"We have information from our private investigator that we wanted to turn over to the police today, but we were told it has to be taken to the Attorney General,” Bill Cockayne said.
Speaking later, McCall confirmed the Attorney General’s involvement.
"That's right," McCall said. “The case is in the prosecutorial stage right now, and information should be turned over to the AG's office, the Justice Department."
During the press conference, McCall said progress is being made on two other high-profile homicide cases on St. Thomas, those of Trevor Joseph and Alvin Morton. "We are pursuing several leads, and as I am able to share information, I will make it public. There have been developments."
Joseph was shot and killed in an attempted robbery outside the lobby of Emerald Bay Beach Resort as he was servicing an automated teller machine. (See “ATM Company Offering $10,000 Reward in Joseph Murder.”)
The body of Morton, an employee of the Office of the Governor, was found July 28 in the trunk of a car alongside Peterborg Road. He had been shot multiple times. (See “Another Homicide Rocks St. Thomas.”)
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