Less than a month after David Gieger was gruesomely murdered and his son Nathan brutally beaten, V.I. Police Department officials announced the case was solved and warrants had been issued for two people.
Renell Lettsome is wanted for the murder of David Geiger and attempted murder and beating of his teen-age son which occurred in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 29 V.I.P.D. Commissioner Elton Lewis announced during a press conference on Monday afternoon, November 21, at the VIPDÂ’s Leander Jurgen Command in Cruz Bay.
An arrest warrant for Lettsome was signed on Friday, November 17 by Judge Audrey Thomas.
Lettsome Wanted for Murder, Assault
Lettsome is wanted for first degree murder, attempted murder, first degree assault, third degree assault, arson and using a dangerous weapon during the commission of a crime of violence, according to Commissioner Lewis.
“Bail was set at $1 million for Lettsome who is on the lam,” said Commissioner Lewis. “We are posting pictures in the media with the hopes of flushing him out.”
Pictures of Lettsome were also sent out on the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) wire on Monday morning and officials at all seaports and airports were to be notified of his warrant, Commissioner Lewis added.
The NCIC is a computerized index of criminal justice information which is available to federal, state, and local law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies.
“We are getting conflicting information in terms of his whereabouts,” said Commissioner Lewis. Lettsome was in Tortola according to the VIPD’s latest information, Lewis added. “No matter where he travels, we will bring him back to face the charges.”
Stewart Wanted for Grand Larceny
An arrest warrant was issued for Tullius C. Stewart. A VIPD-issued flyer said Stewart was wanted in connection with Geiger’s murder for grand larceny and possession of stolen property which occurred on Sunday, October 23 – six days before Geiger’s murder.
“Stewart fled the territory right after the incident,” said Commissioner Lewis at the November 21 press conference. “We have a pretty good idea where he is and we are consulting with authorities in that area to bring him back to the territory.” Stewart’s bail was set at $100,000.
Stewart – “considered armed and dangerous”, according to the VIPD-issued wanted poster – returned to the Territory from California and turned himself in to VIPD offiicials on Thursday, November 24.
Stewart was released without bail on Friday, November 25, by Territorial Court Judge Leon Kendall. Judge Kendall commended Stewart for turning himself in and ordered him to maintain his employment in California.
Money Missing from Home
Before Geiger was found bludgoned to death and set on fire and his teenage son severely beaten on October 29, the long-time island resident had been out of town and a young female friend was house-sitting for him, another friend of the victim told St. John Tradewinds shortly after the incident.
When Geiger – who keep a large amount of cash in his home, according to the friend – returned from the trip, he discovered a large amount of cash was missing from his home and did not believe the house-sitter took the money, according to his friend.
On Wednesday evening, October 26, in Coral Bay Geiger confronted at least one person he suspected of taking his cash, the friend continued.
VIPD Commissioner Lewis declined to comment on any details of what was stolen from GeigerÂ’s home.
“Money was taken – robbery was the motive (for the murder),” said Commissioner Lewis. “Based on the totality of the circumstances, robbery was the motive.”
Several other individuals are wanted in this case, Commissioner Lewis continued.
Other “Persons of Interest”
“Based on this on-going active investigation we have several other persons of interest that we hope to secure warrants for,” said Commissioner Lewis, who would not provide the names of the “two to four individuals”.
The Geiger murder “case is solved,” but more work needs to be done, Commissioner Lewis added.
“This case is far from completed – the real work starts now,” said Commissioner Lewis. “We want to be able to tell the family exactly the sequence of events; how the case unfolded.”
Despite rumors the crime scene was left unattended following the murder, the scene was secured, according to Commissioner Lewis.
“Based on information provided by the Major Crime Squad Supervisor, the crime scene was secure,” said the VIPD Commissioner. “We did exactly what we were supposed to do in terms of packaging physical evidence.”
Commissioner Lewis would not further discuss the physical evidence.
No Outside Assistance
The VIPD did not have assistance from outside agencies with this investigation, Commissioner Lewis added.
“Despite all negative comments and e-mails, including from Senator Barshinger, the VIPD has been able to make significant progress in this investigation,” said the VIPD Commissioner. “We will bring this particular case to closure without outside assistance.”
“In terms of physical evidence it is standard procedure to ship the physical evidence to the FBI for analysis,” said the Commissioner Lewis, adding that otherwise the investigation was handled solely by the VIPD. Fourteen-year-old Nathan Geiger continues to recover from his severe injuries and is with family m
embers, the VIPD Commissioner added.
Commissioner Lewis commended the VIPDÂ’s Major Crime Squad.
“Despite negative comments, I commend Roberto Lima the supervisor of the Major Crime Squad for his professionalism and steadfast commitment to getting this case solved,” said Commissioner Lewis.
VIPD officials have completed the first phase of the investigation, Commissioner Lewis added.
“The case is solved – we will continue to do follow-up work until the individuals are apprehended,” said Commissioner Lewis.
Twenty-one-year-old Lettsome, who is wanted for murder, attempted murder and assault, is described as a black male, 5’9” with long dreadlocks and weighs approximately 130 to 140 pounds.
PublicÂ’s Assistance Requested
The VIPD Commissioner requested the publicÂ’s help with the case.
Anyone with information about the murder and beating case should contact the VIPD Major Crime Unit at 715-5534, 715-5546 or 911.
