Man sentenced to 30 years in prison for shooting in St. Croix that killed his daughter and injured his mother during home search

ST. CROIX – Jiovani Smith, 24, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the second-degree manslaughter of Selena Chitolie, a crime that occurred in 2020.

According to the VI Department of Justice, Judge Alfonso Andrews Jr. of VI Superior Court issued the ruling after Smith entered a guilty plea earlier this year in the shooting death of a 19-year-old woman who was shot while she was house hunting in a car with her mother. While the victim survived the immediate aftermath, She died two weeks later.

The events of May 15, 2020, occurred as Chitolie and her family were driving through the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Frederiksted, St. Croix. According to court documents, the family was looking for a rental home when they were chased and shot at by Smith and two other men. During the attack, Chitolie suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the neck, while her mother, Nissa Camacho, who was also in the vehicle, was shot and still bears a bullet fragment in her neck.

Chitolie was flown in by helicopter for emergency medical treatment but tragically succumbed to her injuries. Ms. Camacho, who was in the passenger seat, also suffered a gunshot wound to the neck but survived. According to a police affidavit, Ms. Camacho recalled hearing several gunshots and seeing dust rising around her vehicle near the abandoned Evelyn M. Williams Elementary School before she realized her daughter had been hit. Ms. Camacho also identified a slim man armed with a long gun who exited the passenger side of a silver Ford Focus and fired shots at her vehicle.

Smith and one of the other defendants, Calijah Brewley, pleaded guilty to the crime earlier this year. Brewley is awaiting sentencing, while the third defendant, Jerome Wallace, is still awaiting trial.

During the sentencing, the court heard statements from Smith, his lawyer Semaj Johnson and members of Chitolie's family. Amie Simpson, Chief of Criminal Investigation for the Virgin Islands Department of Justice (DOJ), emphasized that Smith was at large at the time of the murder, having been charged with a weapons offense. Simpson underscored the senselessness of the crime and the need for the justice system to send a clear message against gun violence in the territory.

In his ruling, Judge Andrews echoed these sentiments, citing the ongoing gun violence crisis in the Virgin Islands and the need to hold perpetrators accountable. He stressed that the community cannot tolerate such acts of violence and that the justice system must take a clear stance against such crimes.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Robert Pickett and Travis Crowell, with Criminal Chief Amie Simpson of the Department of Justice leading the team. Gordon C. Rhea, the nominee for Attorney General of the U.S. Virgin Islands, praised the work of Simpson, Pickett, Crowell and Detective Aisha Jules of the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) for their efforts to seek justice for the victim and her family.