Major Progress in St. Croix Murder Case: Second Suspect Apprehended

A significant advancement has been made in the investigation of a 2022 homicide in St. Croix, with the arrest of 23-year-old Daniel Ramos by the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD). Ramos is implicated in the death of Sean Joseph, also known to many as Akeem Williams, following a deadly incident that occurred in the early hours of March 17, 2022, within the confines of the Harbor View housing community.

This case, which has puzzled investigators for more than two years, saw a crucial development when a distress signal, reporting gunfire, was relayed to the 911 Emergency Call Center at 1:17 a.m. on the day of the incident. Law enforcement officers arriving at the scene discovered Joseph lifeless, bearing several gunshot wounds to his upper body and head, positioned in a plant bed close to the community’s office building. Despite prompt medical efforts, Joseph was declared dead at the location.

The crime scene yielded multiple spent bullet casings, and subsequent identification by family members confirmed the victim to be Joseph, who had been freed from the John Bell Correctional Facility barely a day prior to the fatal shooting.

The case saw a significant breakthrough courtesy of video surveillance footage from the vicinity, which initially led to the apprehension of Timothy Perez, 42, on charges related to the murder. This pivotal evidence also paved the way for the eventual identification of Ramos as an additional suspect involved in the shooting.

On March 22, 2024, detectives with the Criminal Investigation Bureau acted on an arrest warrant against Ramos, formally charging him with first-degree murder in connection to Joseph’s death. Magistrate Morris, overseeing the case, set bail at $1 million, explicitly denying any possibility of a ten percent down payment for release. Ramos was taken into custody without any complications and has been detained at the John Bell Detention Center, awaiting a preliminary hearing set for Monday, March 25.