Government of the Virgin Islands v. James Civil and Cymandy James

OPINION OF THE COURT

WEIS, Circuit Judge

A Virgin Islands statute repealed after defendants’ trial required that accomplice testimony be corroborated before conviction could be had. Concluding that the repealed statute is applicable to crimes committed before its revocation, and finding no corroboration against one defendant, we vacate his conviction. We also hold that a coconspirator is an accomplice within the meaning of the statute and because the trial court’s charge was at odds with that construction, we order a new trial on the conspiracy count against the other defendant.

Defendants Civil…