Darren Bess Extradited from California to Face Murder Charges in St. Croix

ST. CROIX — The V.I. Police Department announced late Tuesday that Darren Bess was extradited to St. Croix on March 18 to face charges in the murder case of Kevin Jerome.

Following his extradition, Bess was charged with multiple offenses including first-degree murder, first-degree assault, carrying of firearms openly or concealed in the commission of a crime of violence, unauthorized possession of ammunition, and first-degree reckless endangerment.

Unable to post bond, he was initially remanded to the John Bell Correction Facility. However, on March 19 Bess was released to a family member under an unsecured bond and is now subject to 24-hour house arrest with electronic monitoring, the VIPD said.

The charges stem from an incident reported on February 26, 2021, when authorities were alerted to shots fired and a man down on Main Street in Williams Delight at approximately 9:57 a.m. Upon arrival, officers found a black male with a gunshot wound to the head next to an older model SUV that had sustained multiple bullet holes. The victim, identified by his parent as 30-year-old Kevin Jerome, was rushed to the Juan F. Luis Hospital where he later died from his injuries.