With jury selection set to begin soon in Superior Court, the defendant in a St. Thomas murder case has asked for a new lawyer. The judge assigned to the case of People of the Virgin Islands vs. Quasheem Christian is still thinking it over, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Christian, a St. Croix utility worker, is accused of fatally shooting tow truck driver Chandler Heath along a roadway near Bolongo Bay on Jan. 29, 2023. He was arrested on St. Croix on Dec. 6 of that year.
Police investigators accuse him of carrying out an execution-style killing and discussing the matter after the fact on social media.
The defendant appeared virtually at a hearing held Monday from the John Bell Adult Correctional Facility in the St. Thomas courtroom of Superior Court Judge Sigrid Tejo. It was Christian’s first pre-trial hearing since he entered a not-guilty plea at arraignment on Jan. 19.
The Oct. 7 hearing was his second try for legal representation. His lawyer’s failure to appear at a prior hearing set for Aug. 26 led to a postponement. Jury selection for a criminal trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 28.
Charges include first- and second-degree murder and three counts of possessing an unlicensed firearm.
It took members of the V.I. Police Department Major Crime Unit several days to track down Heath’s accused killer. He was arrested during a traffic stop in Estate Mountain, St. Croix, while on the job as a lineman for the Water and Power Authority.
“This arrest really shows the communication between the islands (St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John), considering that the incident occurred on St. Thomas and the arrest was made on St. Croix,” said St. Croix District Police Chief Sean Santos in a statement issued after Christian’s arrest.
“Some folks might question the tactics officers used but based on the severity of the warrant (being a murder warrant), the officers exercised caution. Everyone is aware of the climate that we are in, where officers are being challenged more by way of violence, so the officers addressed it appropriately,” he further stated.
