A man awaiting trial on gun charges was found shot to death Monday morning in the Lorraine Village Apartments in Estate Grove Place, according to the V.I. Police Department.
Police identified the victim as 37-year-old Andy J. Peters, also known as “Pankido.” According to police, a monitoring bracelet was attached to Peters’ left ankle when his body was found. Police said Peters was awaiting trial for a 2011 gun possession charge.
Peters had been incarcerated for more than a decade following a conviction on a 1996 first-degree murder conviction.
It was the 11th homicide in the territory in 2013, and the fifth on St. Croix.
Police were dispatched to the scene at about 10:15 a.m. and found Peters on the ground next to a white SUV. EMTs on the scene could not find any vital signs on the victim. Marshals from the Superior Court, the agency that monitors suspects fitted with ankle bracelets, also were on the scene.
Forensic technicians collected several spent shell casings from the area.
Detectives said despite the victim’s history, it is a criminal offense for anyone to take the law into their own hands, especially to the point of taking a life.
Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Bureau are following the case and urge anyone who has any information on the murder to call 1-340-712-6037 or 1-340-712-6077. People with information can also call 911 or the anonymous tip service, Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-8477.
