Miguel Marrero should receive 10 years and 1 day for shooting a mother and her daughter on July 4, 2024, at a St. Croix housing community — not life in prison — according to his sentencing memorandum, which details years of bullying and abuse his family allegedly suffered at the hands of the victims in the case.
Marrero, 53, who pleaded guilty to four counts in a plea deal in February, is due to be sentenced July 2 in District Court on St. Croix, almost a year to the day that the incident occurred. He faces up to life in prison under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, according to the V.I. Justice Department, which is due to file its recommendation Wednesday.
The single father of eight, including four underage children, has admitted to discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence — which carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years — first-degree assault and third-degree assault, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. (According to the V.I. Justice Department, Marrero was convicted in 2000 in federal court for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.)
According to his sentencing memorandum, filed last week by his attorney Jason Gonzalez-Delgado, Marrero was at his wit’s end on the day of the shooting after years of bullying and attacks on his son by the girl who was shot along with her mother, and is deeply remorseful for his actions.
That day, his son, then 17, and the girl, then 15 and referred to as “J.O.” in the sentencing memorandum, were in a fight at the Candido Guadalupe Terrace housing community when her mother confronted Marrero, allegedly striking him in the face, according to court documents. As she turned to leave, he shot her in the back and then shot J.O. in the ankle and leg as she attempted to flee the area along with other children who had gathered to watch the spectacle, the documents state. The mother was subsequently airlifted off-island for treatment of her injuries, according to the Justice Department. Police reports at the time said the daughter was treated and released from Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix.
In sentencing Marrero, the court should consider the nature and circumstances of the offense, and his role as the primary caretaker of his four underage children, the memorandum states.
“Mr. Marrero’s involvement in the instant offense was the result of a pattern of harassment and abuse perpetrated by the minor victim in this case, a maltreatment which lasted for over four (4) years,” according to the memorandum. His son and J.O. also attended the same junior high school and she not only “tormented, bullied, harassed and physically abused” the boy but also incited other children who were members of the gang she led within the housing community to do the same, it says.
Despite trying to resolve the situation peacefully, including scheduling a meeting with the school principal and J.O.’s mother that V.I. Police officers also attended, which resulted in J.O.’s suspension, the behavior did not change, according to the memorandum.
“On the contrary, the abuse and harassment escalated to include the stoning of Mr. Marrero’s vehicle and the windows of the apartment where he lived with his family, the use of pitbulls to attack Mr. Marrero and his family, the beating up of Mr. Marrero’s son, and even threatening to shoot Mr. Marrero’s son,” it says.
The constant harassment and abuse “ensured that Mr. Marrero was in a constant state of anxiety and fear for the safety of his children,” according to the memorandum.
“He tried all available avenues to resolve the situation, such as additional parental conferences with the principal of the school and J.O.’s mother, reporting the incidents to the VIPD and the Virgin Islands Housing Authority, relocating to a different apartment and, despite his high regard for education, withdrawing his son from school. None of Mr. Marrero’s attempts were fruitful. His constant state of fear became so severe that, after learning that his son was being threatened to be shot with an AR-15 rifle and a handgun, Mr. Marrero believed that arming himself was the only avenue left for him to protect his children,” it states.
The day of the shooting, J.O. and at least seven of her friends were threatening Marrero’s son and insinuated they were armed, according to the memorandum. “Consumed with fear, Mr. Marrero witnessed as J.O. and his son engaged in a physical altercation. As this situation unfolded, J.O.’s mother physically assaulted Mr. Marrero, which caused him to react out of instinct. Mr. Marrero deeply regrets the way he responded and wishes he had handled the situation better; taken a pause to thoroughly consider the consequences of his actions,” it says.
The fallout from that day has been devastating, according to the memorandum.
Prior to the shooting, Marrero was employed as an electrician and electric inspector and was well on his way to earning a bachelor’s degree in information system technology from the University of the Virgin Islands, where he was on the dean’s list for the last three semesters he attended and was a member of the Golden Key Honor Society, it says.
Since his incarceration his four underage children have been forced to live separately — two of his sons are in the custody of the Queen Louise Home for Children, and his two daughters are with their maternal grandmother in Florida, the memorandum states. Moreover, without their father’s positive influence, the sons “began to head toward the wrong path and, regretfully, ended up serving time in a Juvenile Institution. As of today, both have been released, yet the continued and all-encompassing absence of their father has already proven to be detrimental to their development,” according to the memorandum.
Marrero “recognizes that he made a terrible decision, which will have long-term consequences for himself and his family. He accepts responsibility for his actions and is committed to spending the rest of his life as a law-abiding and productive member of society,” it states.
His “acceptance of responsibility, his role as primary caretaker of his children, the constant pattern of harassment and abuse he and his family were subjected to, and the steadfast support of his family should all be considered as mitigating factors for sentencing,” according to the memorandum.
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