CAR RAFFLE DISPUTE ESCALATES TO MACHETE ATTACK AT FORMER EMBERS GUEST HOUSE; WOMAN CHARGED
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun News Reporter
ST. THOMAS — A local woman is behind bars after a dispute over a $100 car raffle ticket allegedly escalated into a violent, rusty-machete assault on the perimeter of the former Embers Guest House earlier this week.
Abigail Perez, also known as "La Bory," surrendered to authorities on Wednesday morning after being identified as the suspect in a June 1 assault that left a local man with multiple severe contusions across his upper and lower body.
The $100 Ticket and a Overheard Debt
According to a probable cause fact sheet filed by VIPD Police Detective Eliana Rijo, the bad blood began on Sunday, May 31, 2026. The victim, Edgar Alexander Munoz Gonzalez, had organized a raffle for his black 2011 Kia Sorento, selling individual tickets for $100.00 each.
That afternoon, Gonzalez met with Perez and sold her a ticket on credit, with the understanding that she would pay him the full $100.00 balance before 6:00 PM that evening. When Gonzalez later went to collect the funds at the room where Perez was staying near the old Embers Guest House, she was only able to provide a partial payment of $20.00, promising the remainder the following day.
The situation boiled over on Monday afternoon, June 1, at approximately 4:20 PM, when Gonzalez sent Perez a voice message via WhatsApp requesting the remaining balance.
Because another individual could be heard speaking in the background of Gonzalez's audio message, Perez reportedly became furious. She immediately sent back a voicemail, screaming at Gonzalez to come collect his money and declaring that she highly disliked him discussing her financial debts in front of other people.
Ambushed with a Dull Machete
Hoping to collect his cash, Gonzalez went directly to Perez's room. Upon arriving outside the former guest house, he was met by Perez, who was dressed in a blue dress and holding a rusty, old machete.
After another brief verbal exchange where Perez again shouted at him for exposing her debt, she suddenly swung the blade directly at Gonzalez’s neck.
Gonzalez managed to move quickly enough to evade a potentially fatal blow to his throat, but he was repeatedly struck across the body with the dull edge of the weapon. Detective Rijo’s investigation later confirmed that Gonzalez sustained visible, red, and swollen marks across both of his arms, his back, his legs, and his buttocks from the impact of the blade.
Ironically, police records show that Perez actually called the VIPD herself on Monday to report a "disturbance" in the area of the guest house shortly after the altercation took place.
Surrender and Criminal Charges
On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at approximately 11:19 AM, Perez walked into the Criminal Investigation Bureau at the Richard N. Callwood Command and surrendered. Though she was advised of her Miranda rights, she declined to provide a formal statement to detectives.
Perez has been officially processed, photographed, and charged with a series of severe offenses:
Third-Degree Assault (14 V.I.C. § 297(a)(2))
Simple Assault (14 V.I.C. § 299(2))
Possession of a Dangerous Weapon During a Crime of Violence (14 V.I.C. § 2251(a)(2)(B))
Disturbance of the Peace (14 V.I.C. § 622(1))
Bail was set by the court at $25,000.00. Unable to post the amount, Perez was remanded to the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections pending her formal Advice of Rights hearing in the Superior Court’s St. Thomas and St. John Division.
