ST. THOMAS - "Jesus," a juror exclaimed Thursday upon seeing a projected close-up of Dennis Richardson's pale, lifeless face with half-opened eyes on Mandahl Bay beach Oct. 14, 2009.
The defense rested its case Thursday and jurors commenced deliberations in the trial accusing Jensen Alexander with fatally stabbing Richardson, 51, seven times and repeatedly raping and sodomizing the deceased's female acquaintance at the undeveloped sandy strand.
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ST. CROIX - After Miles David entered a plea deal admitting his guilt in the April 2010 murder of two female family members, one of whom was pregnant, V.I. Superior Court Judge Darryl Donohue sentenced him to 60 years in prison on voluntary manslaughter and second-degree murder charges.
David, 49, pleaded guilty to two counts: voluntary manslaughter and second-degree murder. In exchange, the remaining charges were dropped.
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ST. THOMAS - The V.I. Water and Power Authority said it had finished repairing a water line leak Thursday afternoon that interrupted water service to the Havensight area from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday.
The interruption affected Upper Havensight and Belleview while WAPA technicians fixed an "aging" 12-inch line, said WAPA spokeswoman Cassandra Dunn.
She said the areas affected were mostly residential.
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Rumor and innuendo swirled across the territory on Thursday, as word spread rapidly about a story published in a Washington-based online media outlet that contained allegations about bribe-taking by V.I. government officials.
The story appeared in the Daily Caller, an online news source founded by Tucker Carlson, a television commentator known for his conservative views and a contributor to Fox News, and Neil Patel, former chief policy adviser to former Vice President Richard Cheney.
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ST. CROIX - About 175 callers listened in or participated in a telephone town hall meeting on the territory's financial crisis Thursday night with V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen.
Christensen was in Washington, D.C., and Thursday's town hall was the first time her office had done a town hall in a phone-in format, she said.
It was aimed at allowing the community to share ideas and concerns in the wake of government layoffs and the announcement that HOVENSA would be ceasing its refinery operations in the territory.
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ST. CROIX - One effect of HOVENSA's looming closure has been to renew the community's focus on three resort and development projects that have been discussed for nearly a decade: William and Punch; Robin Bay and Golden Resorts.
Residents see the completion of the three developments - William and Punch, Robin Bay and Golden Resorts - as a source of much-needed jobs and revenue and a boost to St. Croix's tourism industry, but so far, permitting hurdles and financing in the current economic crisis have presented hurdles.
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