In a dramatic change of heart Thursday, Florida resident and former stripper Crystal Irons pled guilty to the second-degree murder of Stewart “Blue Boy” Sargeant on St. Thomas in 2003.
Speaking meekly, Irons, 28, uttered the word “guilty” when Superior Court Judge Michael Dunston asked her how she pleaded and reminded her that she faced up to life in prison even though the prosecution recommended a 30-year sentence with the chance of parole in the plea bargain that brought her change of plea.
In the agreement, Prosecutor Rene Gumbs-Carty agreed to drop a more serious first-degree murder charge, as well as a charge of using a dangerous weapon during the commission of a crime of violence, in exchange for the guilty plea to murder in the second-degree. It was a second attempt at a plea deal, after prosecutors rejected one in March.
To make sure Irons knew the ramifications of her decision, Dunston had Gumbs-Carty read a summary of what government witnesses would have testified had the case gone to trial.
Irons agreed that she had been working as a stripper at St. Thomas’ notorious Club-75 and left the club with Sargeant on the morning of Dec. 11, 2003. A struggle ensued at Sargeant’s Estate Wintberg apartment and Irons fatally stabbed Sargeant five times in the chest and neck.
After the murder, she fled St. Thomas for Florida, where the VIPD Cold Case squad eventually caught up to her while she was serving time for unrelated charges.
“Do you agree that government witnesses would testify to those facts,” Dunston asked Irons before accepting her plea.
“Yeah,” she said before hanging her head and starting to weep.
While Irons nervously rubbed her hands on her legs as she sat, Dunston explained that before he decided on a sentence, Irons could have her own witnesses write favorable letters to the court, or they could testify at the sentencing hearing, which he set for June 2.
The probation office would interview Irons and conduct a background check to provide a character sketch for Dunston as he decides how much of her life she will spend in prison, the judge said.
The prosecution recommended 30 years.
