ST. CROIX — A federal judge has granted the prosecution’s motion to detain a defendant accused of killing a St. Croix jeweler in 2019 after hearing concerns from the government that he is a flight risk and a danger to the community, according to a District Court order filed today.
Rakem Hendrickson, 32, who is facing federal carjacking and local murder charges stemming from the fatal shooting of 49-year-old Kailash Banani on January 4, 2019, will remain in pretrial detention pending his trial.
Hendrickson allegedly killed Banani, who owned Panache Jewelers on King Street in downtown Christiansted, during a carjacking while aided and abetted by others known and unknown to the grand jury.
Hendrickson, who is charged in an indictment filed October 22 in District Court, is facing a federal count of carjacking resulting in death and two local murder counts — first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree felony murder. Each count charged him as both a principal and as an aider and abettor.
Magistrate Judge Emile Henderson III entered an order granting the prosecution’s motion to detain Hendrickson following a detention hearing held November 13 in District Court. The government argued the defendant was eligible for detention because the indictment alleged a crime of violence using a firearm that included a maximum sentence of life in prison or death, as well as because Hendrickson is a flight risk and a danger to the community.
Hendrickson appeared in court for his detention hearing along with his court-appointed attorney, Joannie Plaza-Martinez. Hendrickson, who wore prison attire, handcuffs, and leg shackles, was supported in court by family members, including his mother and grandparents.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Disney argued that Hendrickson should be detained given the nature and circumstances of his alleged actions, noting the court has already found probable cause to charge him with what he described as a “planned murder” that was captured on video by a surveillance camera.
“The victim was targeted, and he was executed,” Disney said, adding that Banani was pulled from his vehicle, beaten, subdued, and shot three times.
Disney pointed out that Hendrickson has three prior arrests for crimes involving firearms, suggesting he is a danger to the community. He argued the defendant is a flight risk because his case is eligible for the death penalty. He said Hendrickson should be detained because there are no conditions of release to ensure the safety of the community or that he would show up for his trial.
Disney said the government has a strong circumstantial case that shows there is probable cause that Hendrickson was either the shooter, or that he aided and abetted the shooter. He noted that Hendrickson’s DNA was found on a stocking cap recovered from the crime scene, as well as inside a glove that had Banani’s blood on the outside. He said Banani’s keys were seized during a search at Hendrickson’s residence. The keys were identifiable because Banani had the same keychain as his wife, who was present in court. Disney said the victim’s phone was taken and was traveling with Hendrickson’s phone, arguing Hendrickson was at least close to both phones if he was not the person carrying them.
Hendrickson was sentenced on April 21, 2021 to five years in prison and four years of supervised release on the federal charge of using a firearm during a drug trafficking crime in connection to a 2018 arrest after police received a tip that he was selling drugs from his Jeep Wrangler that he routinely parked near Dynasty (Paul’s) Grocery Store, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release issued at the time. He was arrested after police discovered a loaded handgun, ammunition, $2,584 in cash, and more than a quarter pound of marijuana in his vehicle. Hendrickson, who was released from prison last November, was on supervised release at the time of his arrest in connection to Banani’s killing.
Plaza-Martinez argued that the government’s circumstantial evidence does not put her client at the crime scene, prove he discharged the firearm, or prove he killed the victim. She pointed out the glove retrieved from the crime scene contained the DNA of two other individuals, noting more than one assailant committed the crime but they cannot be identified in the surveillance footage. She said the firearm connected to the killing was seized from another person besides her client who is not charged in the case. She said there is no evidence that her client was in possession of the seized cellphones.
Plaza-Martinez discussed her client’s strong ties to the community and to his family, noting he was born in Germany but has lived on St. Croix since he was 1 year old and has a high school diploma. She said his grandmother, mother, common law wife and 5-year-old child all live on St. Croix. When Hendrickson was previously arrested, she said he did not resist arrest or obstruct justice. She requested her client be released from custody and placed on house arrest. While discussing bail, she said his family could post $50,000 in cash as surety. She questioned his mother, a federal employee who works from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., about her ability to serve as a third-party custodian. She said Hendrickson has no mental health illness, so he would understand the conditions of release.
Disney argued that the defense failed to show how Hendrickson’s mother would ensure he is not a flight risk or a danger to the community if she served as his third-party custodian.
Now that the judge has granted the prosecution’s detention motion, Hendrickson will continue to be held in pretrial detention pending his trial.
