USVI Man Arrested For Brother's Murder
A St. Croix man is in police custody facing first-degree murder charges after fatally stabbing his brother outside their family home on Monday. Police say Miguel Cotto admitted to the fatal attack, which marks his second domestic violence stabbing arrest this year. The victim later succumbed to multiple chest wounds at the Juan F. Luis Hospital.
Law enforcement authorities in the neighbouring United States Virgin Islands have arrested a St. Croix man following the fatal stabbing of his brother on Monday afternoon. Miguel Cotto faces charges of first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and third-degree assault, with all charges classified as crimes of domestic violence.
Police officers were dispatched to the family residence after receiving an emergency call from a neighbour. Upon arrival, responding officers found Jose Cotto lying face up on an outdoor walkway suffering from multiple stab wounds to his upper chest. Emergency personnel transported him by ambulance to the Juan F.
Luis Hospital, where medical staff later pronounced him dead. According to court documents, a family member who witnessed the incident told investigators they were sitting outside the residence with Miguel when Jose approached the area. Without speaking, Miguel reportedly stood up suddenly and stabbed his brother multiple times, prompting the relative to flee the scene on foot in fear.
Forensic investigators documented blood across several areas of the property, including near a parked vehicle, along the entryway walkway, and inside the residence. Miguel, who was detained at the scene by responding officers, directed police to look beneath the walkway near a pool of blood, where authorities successfully recovered a bloody kitchen knife.
Following his detention, Cotto was transported to the Police Operations Building, where investigators stated he gave a formal confession admitting to stabbing his brother with the recovered weapon. Bail has been set at $1 million, and he was remanded into custody pending his initial court proceedings.
Court records reveal that Monday's deadly encounter follows a prior arrest in January, during which Cotto was charged with assaulting and stabbing his girlfriend in the leg during an argument near a Christiansted gas station. Violent incidents in the neighbouring USVI remain closely monitored across the wider Virgin Islands community due to shared familial and regional ties.
Primary source: VINO