Lawyers and officials from the Virgin Islands Health Department appeared in court on Tuesday for a court-ordered review of a suspect charged with murder and assault stemming from an incident in March 2025. Few details emerged at the end of the hourlong hearing before Superior Court Judge Denise Francois.
The subject of that hearing — Mohammed H. Salem — is charged in connection with the stabbing death of Hakim Salem and the wounding of Jamil Salem at their family home in Hull Bay. The defendant in the case has been the subject of mental health evaluations and court-issued treatment orders to determine if he is fit to stand trial.
Since his arrest on March 5, Mohammed Salem has been held in custody of the Bureau of Prisons, but reports of threatening and sometimes violent behavior while behind bars led Francois to order his transfer to a treatment center in Florida in August. The judge also scheduled a February 2026 hearing to evaluate any progress made since then.
Salem’s evaluation was one of two reviews conducted in Francois’ courtroom on Tuesday; just after calling Health Department Mental Health Division Case Manager Genae Gonzalez to testify, the judge cleared the courtroom.
“We’re going to be discussing the defendant’s medical records,” Francois said, adding that the details must be kept confidential.
At the hearing’s end, Assistant Attorney General Jeremy Weddle, representing the Justice Department’s criminal division, was asked whether the judge had issued a ruling. Weddle declined to comment.
By Tuesday afternoon, Justice Department spokesperson Sandra Goomansingh released a statement reflecting the court’s sentiment.
“Some hearings involve sensitive medical information, including confidential diagnoses. For this reason, the court closes certain proceedings to the public. Accordingly, the Department of Justice is unable to comment,” Goomansingh said.
