Bail denied for suspects in hospital murder

St. Croix, U.S.V.I. - Three of four individuals held on federal drug and weapon charges are also suspected in the May 21, 2008 slaying of Shadrach Frett at the Luis Hospital, St. Croix and a federal judge has denied bail for all three.

Following tips about the pre-dawn murder where five masked gunmen entered the medical institution and shot 28-year-old Frett multiple times, members of a joint federal-local task force discovered a large quantity of marijuana, .40-caliber handgun and an assault rifle at two locations.

The four Catherine’s Rest residents, Armand Thomas, 25, Nathaniel Thomas, 21, Okimo Milligan, 21 and Andrea Soto, 20 were arrested and a slew of charges were filed against them; maintaining a residence used for the manufacturing of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute it and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. No murder charges were laid.

The three men, one woman group appeared before Federal Magistrate Judge George Cannon in late May. Prosecutors labeled the three males as “flight risks and a danger to society” and requested bail be denied and they be remanded while their case was pending.

The judge said he would take the motion under advisement however the lone female, Soto was released on bail.

Judge Cannon has since ordered the three men committed to a federal detention facility in Puerto Rico where they will only be allowed to consult with their attorneys while their case is pending. ~~Adz:Right~~

Police continue to look into the possible connection between the group and Frett’s execution as Thomas was injured in the May 12, 2008 Catherine’s Rest shootout that had left Frett hospitalized. Neither man had cooperated with police investigations as to who had committed the crime.

Police also continue to investigate the theory that hospital staff had abetted the gunmen by allowing them access to the secured ward where Frett was under police guard. They have not however released any details acquired from the recovered hospital security surveillance tapes.

V.I. Attorney General Vincent Frazer earlier this month retracted statements made which indicated that Frett was under police guard during his stay at the hospital, saying instead that the female Correction Officer was assigned to an inmate in the adjacent room.

Frazer also contended that in retrospect, although some things could have been done differently, he felt that nothing could have been done to avert the precision attack and execution of Frett.

Officials for both the St. Croix and St. Thomas hospitals are said to be reviewing the institutions’ security measures and have since implanted the photo i.d. rule where visitors have to present photo identification at the security desk before being allowed to visit patients.