STRANGLED, BLEEDING, AND THREATENED WITH DEATH: St. Croix Man Hunted To Gas Station After Reign of Terror Unleashed on Mother of His Children
ST. CROIX SUN FEATURE ILLUSTRATION: An artist's depiction of the high-stakes law enforcement operation late Wednesday evening at the Budget Gas Station, where Virgin Islands Police Department officers intercepted and detained domestic violence suspect Kenrick "Kenny" Duinkerk, 34. Duinkerk faced a territory-wide VIPD manhunt following a violent domestic assault at the Harbor View apartment complex earlier that morning. (Graphic designed by Nano Banana 3 / St. Croix Sun News)
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun News Reporter
GOLDEN ROCK — A physical altercation over an infant falling from a bed led to the arrest of a St. Croix man on multiple domestic violence charges early Wednesday morning. The incident, which began as a verbal argument, quickly turned violent inside a Condo Row-area apartment.
According to the probable cause fact sheet filed in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands, the 911 Emergency Center dispatched officers to Harbor View Apartments Building 16 at approximately 8:45 a.m. following reports of a disturbance in progress.
Upon arrival, Police Officers Jonah Smith and Jamilia Edwards met with the victim. The victim further stated she had been assaulted by Kenrick Duinkerk, the father of her children.
A Desperate Struggle to Breathe and Break Free
The confrontation allegedly turned critical when the argument moved into the living room. the victim reported that Duinkerk wrapped his arm around her neck, applied pressure, and explicitly threatened her life, stating, "I will kill you".
In a frantic effort to escape the chokehold, the victim struck Duinkerk multiple times and bit him on the arm, which successfully forced him to release his grip.
IMAGE QUALITY NOTE / PHOTO CREDIT: The St. Croix Sun News and the Virgin Islands Free Press apologize to our readers for the degraded pixel strength and low image vitality of the VIPD’s “Wanted Poster” featured above.
As the territory’s only truly independent media sources, our newsrooms have been subjected to an ongoing campaign of petty bureaucratic retaliation by the Virgin Islands Police Department executive leadership, including the Police Commissioner and the St. Croix Police Chief. This media blackout began immediately after this publication exposed systemic conflicts of interest surrounding VIPD Communications Director Glen Dratte—specifically his drawing of an extensive government salary while simultaneously operating multiple outside private concerns during the traditional 9-to-5 work week.
Because the VIPD's leadership chooses to withhold standard public resources from independent journalists, our reporters are forced to manually harvest screenshot images directly from social media platforms. We refuse to be intimidated by official stonewalling and remain fully committed to delivering uncompromising "Direct-to-Dockets" transparency to the people of the Virgin Islands.
Blood, Bruises, and a Foot Chase Outside the Apartment
The violence did not end in the living room. the victim attempted to force Duinkerk out of her home, causing the fight to spill onto the exterior stairs near her front door.
Outside, Duinkerk allegedly struck her several more times across her body. After the victim kicked him in self-defense, Duinkerk fled the scene on foot.
Detective Sarah Velez of the Domestic Violence Unit later noted visible, documented injuries on the victim, including:
A laceration to her upper lip
Bruising to her forehead
Distinct red marks around the front of her neck
Scratches and bruising across her right arm
VIPD Triggers Public Manhunt for ‘Kenny’
Because Ms. LaCorbiniere did not know Mr. Duinkerk's current residential address—noting only that he works as a traveling landscaper—authorities knew they had to enlist the community's help. On June 10, 2026, the Virgin Islands Police Department's Criminal Investigation Bureau officially issued an urgent wanted person alert for the 34-year-old suspect.
The bulletin described Duinkerk, also known to locals as “Kenny,” as a Black male standing 5’9” tall, weighing 145 lbs, with a dark brown complexion, brown eyes, and black hair styled in long dreadlocks with a short goatee. Authorities warned the public that he was actively evading law enforcement and heavily frequented La Grande Princesse, the Harborview Apartments complex, and Christiansted Town.
Gas Station Takedown Ends the Brief Liberty
The public manhunt proved short-lived. Later that same evening on June 10, Police Officers J. Benjamin and T. Patterson spotted the wanted man at the Budget Gas Station. He was swiftly detained and transported to the Wilbur H. Francis Command Police Station.
Once at the station, Mr. Duinkerk was read his Miranda Rights, though he refused to sign the waiver forms and declined to provide a statement to investigators regarding the morning's assault.
Dragged Into Court: Behind Bars Pending a Judge's Order
Under Virgin Islands domestic violence laws, no bail was issued at the time of booking. Mr. Duinkerk was remanded to the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility to await his immediate advice of rights hearing, which brought him directly before a judge today, June 11, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at the Superior Court in Kingshill.
Detective Velez's sworn affidavit establishes probable cause to charge Mr. Duinkerk with:
Second-Degree Assault/DV
Simple Assault & Battery/DV
Disturbing the Peace by Threats/DV
Court records indicate that Mr. Duinkerk has a prior criminal history on file with the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
EDITOR’S NOTE:
READING IS FUNDAMENTAL: Sharp-eyed readers tracking local law enforcement updates on social media may notice that the Virgin Islands Police Department’s public relations and graphics teams frequently spell the defendant’s name as "Kendrick". However, formal dockets and the sworn Probable Cause Fact Sheet submitted under penalty of perjury by the VIPD’s own Domestic Violence Unit explicitly identify the accused as Kenrick Duinkerk.
While the VIPD's social media division might benefit from a Bart Simpson-style session at the chalkboard to practice basic copy-editing before hitting "publish," the St. Croix Sun News relies strictly on verified court records and NCIC filings to ensure legal accuracy. The official image circulated by the VIPD from an archived 2025 case file is displayed below to clear up the department's ongoing nomenclature confusion.
VIPD at work via Instagram
