The 16-year-old charged in the 2025 shooting death of Jordan “Dutty Heart” Jones is competent to stand trial, a V.I. Superior Court judge ruled this week.
Angelo Javier Carmona was 15 when police say he shot and killed Jones, 38, shortly after midday on the Christiansted boardwalk. Carmona was arrested hours later, and the V.I. Justice Department opted to try him as an adult. He faces charges of first-degree murder — which carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole — assault, endangerment and counts related to possession of a firearm.
Carmona was initially found partially or not competent by court-ordered psychological and psychiatric reports. Both reports, according to an order signed by Judge Venetia Harvey Velazquez Tuesday, “grounded their determination on his youth and inexperience” rather than mental illness or other impairment. The court ultimately found Carmona competent after receiving testimony from Dr. Robin Brannigan, a psychiatrist, and after speaking with Carmona directly during a recent hearing.
“Having considered the medical reports in this case, and having heard the competing testimony of Dr. Brannigan and the Defendant’s responses to the Court’s colloquy, the weight of evidence reflects that Defendant Carmona has sufficient present ability to consult with his lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding and has a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings against him,” Velazquez wrote.
Velazquez wrote that the medical professionals’ reports do not support a finding of incompetency or restorative hospitalization, and any gaps in Carmona’s understanding of legal proceedings can be fixed through education. A status conference was scheduled for May 27.
Carmona’s attorney, Assistant Territorial Public Defender Dwayne Henry, also cited his client’s age as a reason to dismiss the first-degree murder charges, arguing that a juvenile defendant should not be subject to life in prison without parole. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a court must refuse to apply such sentences to juveniles, according to a motion he filed this month, but the Virgin Islands Code has no such provision.
“The Supreme Court of the United States has consistently ruled that juveniles are constitutionally different from adults for purposes of sentencing and therefore cannot be subjected to the harshest penalties without careful limitations,” he wrote.
