Kertis Tonge Jr. has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the October 2024 murder of Quanza Heath on St. Croix, the V.I. Justice Department announced Friday.
The sentence, imposed Wednesday by V.I. Superior Court Judge Ernest E. Morris Jr., comes after a jury convicted Tonge, 34, of murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, assault in the third degree, reckless endangerment, unauthorized possession of a firearm, and unauthorized possession of ammunition on Sept. 10.
According to the Superior Court docket, Tonge is appealing his conviction to the V.I. Supreme Court, citing the following issues in a notice of appeal Thursday: Whether there was insufficient evidence to sustain the jury verdict entered on Sept. 11; whether the trial judge erred by, after the people rested, denying the defendant’s Rule 29 Motion to Dismiss the first-degree murder charge; whether the judge erred by denying Tonge’s renewed Motion to Dismiss the first-degree murder charge; whether the judge erred for permitting the people to amend the Amended Information during trial on Sept. 9, to add Murder Second Degree in a Third Amended Information; and whether the judge erred by failing to submit the Defendant’s proposed voir dire questions.
According to police and court records, Tonge went uninvited to a Lorraine Village apartment shortly before noon on Oct. 23, 2024. After getting into a dispute with the occupants, he intentionally shot and killed Heath, 35, who was inside of the apartment. In total he fired three shots into the apartment occupied by Heath, an adult woman and multiple children.
After a citizen called 911, responding officers found Quanza with multiple gunshot wounds and quickly transported him to Juan F. Luis Hospital for emergency treatment, where he later died of his injuries.
V.I. Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea expressed gratitude to everyone involved for their hard work, including the prosecutors, investigators, the Victim Witness Advocate, and the Virgin Islands Police Department.
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