Murder suspect Demare A. Encarnacion, 32, was arrested on Tortola and returned to the U.S. Virgin Islands by HM BVI Immigration officers. Law enforcement agencies across multiple jurisdictions worked together to apprehend Encarnacion here in the British Virgin Islands. 

Demare A. Encarnacion is accused of taking part in the fatal shooting of Cecil Scatliffe on the morning of Oct. 13, 2024, in the Kronprindsens Gade area. Encarnacion was charged three (3) days later on Oct. 17, 2024, with first-degree murder, use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, and possession of an unlicensed firearm within 1,000 feet of a school. 

Encarnacion escaped USVI waters, and made his way onto BVI soil. The U.S. Marshals Service’s Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force developed information in December 2024 indicating that Encarnacion was on Tortola.

Authorities in the British Virgin Islands made no attempts to alert the public that a murder suspect was identified and hiding out in the Territory. 

Acting U.S. Marshal for the District of the Virgin Islands, Kwesi Howard emphasized the importance of law enforcement partnerships in locating fugitives. 

“As the enforcement arm of the U.S. Courts, the U.S. Marshals’ commitment to partnerships with federal, local, and international law enforcement agencies to track down violent fugitives is unwavering,” Howard said. 

“Although we cannot arrest our way out of problems, we can help bring closure to families who are affected by crimes of violence.” Howard continued. 

The U.S. Marshals Service in the District of the Virgin Islands, in collaboration with the Virgin Islands Police Department, the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, and the British Virgin Islands Department of Immigration, facilitated the capture.