Bail for murder suspect Adisa Bertrand was set at $750,000 Monday after V.I. Superior Court Judge Kathleen MacKay described him as a "danger to the community" and a flight risk.
Bertrand is charged with killing 24 year-old Shantee Seivewright, who was found dead at approximately 10:15 p.m. Friday in a car in Tutu Valley. A call into 911 alerted police of a one-car traffic incident involving a gold Honda Accord that crashed into a fence in Tutu Valley. The call led police officers to Seivewright, who was found unresponsive inside the vehicle with undescribed injuries to her body.
Bertrand, 34, of Chocolate Hole in St. John was arrested early Saturday morning after he was allegedly speaking to patrons at a nearby bar about the incident.
When police went to the location they said they saw the man had blood on his clothes. He was taken to the Schneider Regional Medical Center and seen by the medical staff and subsequently released to Major Crime detectives, according to information from the V.I. Police Department.
Bertrand has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, third-degree assault and four counts of possession of a dangerous weapon during the commission of a crime of violence. He was initially held without bail and remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending an advice of rights hearing Monday.
Monday’s hearing was packed, with the courtroom guarded by nine marshals who kept advising those inside to stay calm and keep quiet.
Taking recommendations for bail from both sides, goverment attorneys asked the court for 72 hours to get all the paperwork in order since Bertrand was arrested over the weekend, but that request was denied by the judge. The attornies then asked for bail to be set at $750,000, which the defense said was too much, but Mackay accepted the amount, saying that Bertrand – who is in the territory illegally – was a flight risk and danger to the community.
Government attorneys also noted that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is already aware of Bertrand’s status and could be moving to detain him soon.
Bertrand’s arraignment was set for March 27 at 9 a.m. in V.I. Superior Court.
