Francis Williams, the former police officer found guilty for the murder of two of his colleagues, Officer Lesha Lammy, 30, and Kai Javois, 28, was sentenced to 61 years in prison for his crimes by VI Superior Court Judge Harold Willocks. Photo: VI Consortium

Judge Willocks sentenced Mr Williams to 30 years for each of the killings, two concurrent ten-year penalties for the weapons conviction and a one-year consecutive term for the stalking, V.I. Department of Justice Public Media Officer Corliss Smithen announced Friday.

“You will spend the rest of your life in jail,” Judge Willocks told Mr Williams as he handed down the judgment.

The prosecution team of Assistant Attorneys General Quincy McRae, Nadja Harrigan and Timothy Perry had recommended that Mr Williams be given 200 years — 100 years for the life of Lesha Lammy and 100 years for Kai Javois.  In his allocution at sentencing, Mr Perry highlighted the life and service of each of the victims, cut short by Mr Williams’ actions.

 “Lesha was Williams’ lover, his would-be wife, a woman he had spent Christmas with surrounded by her children, Safia, Samara, Vivian, and he did all of this, knowing she had three children,” Mr Perry said. 

“They were ages 6, 11 and 12 when Francis Williams murdered Lesha Lammy and he did all of this, knowing she was a cop, a Virgin Islands police officer, who, despite the poor pay, the dangers inherent in every stop, the hard work in the day and in the night, every day put on a uniform and the badge of the Virgin Islands Police Department and worked—with humor and grace and strength—to protect the community.”

Mr Perry then reminded those in the courtroom of Mr Javois’ service to his country.

“Kai left the island at 18 – a boy – to serve his country as a U.S. Marine, the most dangerous and bold and brave military service under the American flag. He served with distinction a tour of duty in Iraq and a second tour of duty, with distinction, in Afghanistan. In the most dangerous places on earth, he fought for our freedom here. When he returned home to St. Croix, to friends and family, he sought to serve the community, so he joined the Virgin Islands Police Department. By all accounts, he was strong and kind, and fun-loving. I’ve heard again and again from men and women attached to this case that he was just so happy to be home, so happy to be a police.  He didn’t serve the VIPD for more than six months before defendant Williams shot him in the back of the head and burned his body… like trash.”

According to someone which knowledge of the plans, Mr. Williams is expected to be shipped to the infamous Red Onion prison in Virginia.

The high-profile court battle, which took place in May, saw the prosecution building a case that sought to paint Mr. Williams as a man whose feelings were hurt after learning that the woman he loved had left him for another man.

Adding to the burn, the prosecution argued, the man was another police officer who had been a junior officer on the police force and a person Mr. Williams had considered a friend.