Jan. 19, 2004 – A St. Croix teen-ager is dead and another was clinging to life at Juan F. Luis Hospital following a series of Sunday-night fights and a stabbing at a nightclub where a school dance was taking place.
Early Monday morning, police spokesman Sgt. Thomas Hannah confirmed the death of 16-year-old Jeffrey Bennett, a resident of Clifton Hill and a night student at
Education Complex. "Bennett was stabbed in the upper neck area and expired at the Luis Hospital Sunday night," Hannah said.
Police were called around 10:30 p.m. after "a series of fights" at the Mambo Nightclub, where a Central High School dance was in progress, Hannah said. The club is located near the Five Corners gas station.
"We are not exactly certain as to exactly what went down and what triggered the stabbing death of Mr. Bennett," he said.
Hannah said a small, sharp knife was used in the stabbing. He declined to say whether police had recovered it.
A second stabbing victim, Nathan Torres, was hospitalized in serious but stable condition at Luis Hospital with "stab wounds to the upper left chest area," Hannah said.
Hannah said an investigation is under way into the fatal stabbing.
Bennett’s death is the first homicide of the year on St. Croix and the territory's third for 2004. The other two were on St. Thomas.
The first murder of the year occurred on New Year’s Day when Isiah Pereira was stabbed to death during a domestic squabble at his residence in Tutu Hi Rise. Pereira’s brother, Glenford Prince, is jailed in lieu of bail in connection with the killing. The second homicide happened Saturday night, when Renerio Rivera was shot to death in Lindbergh Bay.