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Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesSuspects in Hyde Murder to be Tried as Adults

Suspects in Hyde Murder to be Tried as Adults

The five juvenile suspects in the Nov. 23 murder of William Hyde will be re-arrested and tried as adults, the V.I. Department of Justice confirmed Monday.

Family Court Judge Debra Watlington on Thursday granted a motion to have the suspects tried as adults, according to Renee Gumbs-Carty, chief prosecutor for the V.I. Department of Justice. Contacted Monday, Gumbs-Carty said the department has not yet received a written order from the court.

The suspects are in custody at the Youth Rehabilitation Center, Gumbs-Carty said. When the order is received they will be re-arrested, arraigned in Superior Court, and transferred to an adult facility.

Gumbs-Carty said under some circumstances, the Virgin Islands Code makes the decision to try someone younger than the age of 18 as an adult discretionary. But under other circumstances, that decision is mandatory.

"The nature of this particular crime falls under the circumstances where that would be mandatory," she said.

According to police reports, Hyde was assaulted by five young men aged 16 to 17 on Nov. 23. Police reports say one of them, who knew the victim, called Hyde and asked for a ride. When he showed up, all five suspects allegedly took Hyde in the vehicle to Magens Bay, where they assaulted him, leaving him for dead.

Hyde was found the next morning in the women’s shower at the beach park, police reports said. He had no identification, and after two days the police issued a call to the community to help identify the "John Doe" lying unconscious in the Schneider Regional Medical Center, at which time Hyde’s co-workers at Boolchands said the description sounded like their friend and they contacted police.

Hyde never regained consciousness, but friends who visited him at the hospital said they saw his eyes moving under closed lids and other signs that at some level he was reacting to their presence.

Due to the severity of his injuries, he was transferred to a hospital in Florida. He was taken off of life support and a week later, on Dec. 17, he died.

The names of the suspects have not been released due to their status as juvenile offenders. But Gumbs-Carty said their names will be public when they are re-arrested and charged as adults.

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