The judge overseeing the pretrial measures ordered in the case of Mohammed Salem has set a February 2026 hearing date to assess his fitness for trial.
Salem was arrested on St. Thomas’ North Side in March 2025, accused of staging a knife attack in the family home that killed Hakim Salem — his father — and wounded Jamil Salem — his brother.
Also included in the order issued in mid-August was a directive for the clerk of the court to seal the records related to the case.
Since his March 5 arrest on charges of murder and assault, Salem has been held in detention subject to mental health evaluations because of actions linked to the case and because of threatening and sometimes violent behavior while in custody.
At a hearing held July 23, Superior Court Judge Denise Francois gave the Health Department 30 days to transfer Salem to a treatment center in Florida that informed authorities in the V.I. that they had an available bed. The directive was issued after the court received word from the Bureau of Corrections that Francois said she had been advised that Salem had become a danger to himself and to prison guards at the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility. Previous appeals to the court in May led Francois to permit forced administration of those medicines.
According to information provided during the FY 2026 Senate budget hearings, Corrections officials estimate the cost of daily off-island health treatment at about $103 per day.
Information that was available on the Superior Court’s public access portal for a brief time after Francois’ order showed the court received a response from officials at Health on or around Aug. 8.
