Two men charged for the Oct. 14 stabbing death of Hull Bay resident Dennis Richardson and rape of his female friend pleaded “not guilty” to all charges and asked for jury trials at a partial arraignment hearing Thursday in Superior Court.
Judge Kathleen MacKay issued a five-day continuance for the hearing until the attorney for one of the defendants arrives back on St. Thomas, at which time bail motions will be heard for Katanio “Kay Kay” Peets, 37, and Jensen “Joseniah” Alexander, 29.
Both Peets and Alexander are charged with first-degree murder and if convicted face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.
Peets is also charged with first-degree assault, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a deadly crime, and aiding abetting Alexander in the assault and rape of the 29-year-old Hull Bay woman.
On top of the felony and first-degree murder charges, Alexander is charged with multiple rape and sexual assault charges and with aiding and abetting Peets in his alleged crimes.
Attorney Richard Bourne-Vanneck will represent Alexander and attorney Karin Bentz will represent Peets once she returns. Assistant Attorney General Brenda Scales will prosecute the case in the court of Judge Brenda Hollar.
The early morning incident that left Richardson dead stemmed from an altercation the previous day, according to police. Officers responded to a disturbance just after midnight and broke up the party, sending Peets and Alexander away. Richardson and the woman, who had been partying with Peets and Alexander the previous day, decided to stay on the beach in a tent, telling police that they could not find the keys to Richardson’s truck, according to police testimony.
According the unnamed rape victim, Alexander and Peets later returned, a VIPD detective testified on Oct. 15.
The woman told police that she awoke inside the tent sometime after 2 a.m. with Alexander on top of her holding a knife to her throat. She said she saw Peets on top of Richardson on the ground outside.
She told investigators that Alexander raped her and beat her while Peets pinned down Richardson, who appeared lifeless as she was assaulted in the tent.
The victim said she heard Peets yell to Alexander, “Let’s go, man. I think he’s dead. I think we killed him,” according to court documents. She eventually escaped and hid in the water for more than an hour until she could run to a neighbor’s house to call for help.
The incident has left Hull Bay residents sullen and shocked.
Friends of Richardson, who was a popular beach regular, sat in court Thursday only to watch the arraignment proceedings drag out for another week before a trial date is set.
More than a hundred of Richardson’s friends and family gathered for a benefit cookout and potlatch dinner on Oct. 18 to raise money for his burial at sea, which is scheduled for Sunday.
