Travis Lawrence Jr. pleads guilty to second-degree murder in death of Denston Bacchus
Travis Lawrence Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2025 beating death of St. Croix educator Denston Bacchus, 76. Sentencing is set for Jan. 15.
St. Croix man who beat elderly neighbor to death accepts plea deal
Travis Lawrence Jr., 37, will be sentenced on January 15 after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the beating death of his St. Croix neighbor Denston Bacchus, 76, stthomassource.com reports. Bacchus, a retired educator, counselor, and church leader, died of his injuries on August 20, 2025, at a long-term care facility in Florida.
The attack took place in the early hours of June 15, 2025, at the Bacchus family home in Estate St. George. According to police reports and court records, Bacchus and his wife Audrey were asleep when they heard someone outside shouting "Help, call 911, they trying to kill me!" around 4 a.m. The couple went to their porch and found Lawrence — their longtime neighbor — heavily intoxicated.
When Denston Bacchus invited him inside, Lawrence locked Audrey Bacchus outside and began beating the elderly man about the head inside the home. Lawrence's uncle, who had been searching for his nephew after being alerted that Lawrence was drunk and wandering around Frederiksted, eventually broke down the door and held Lawrence until authorities arrived.
Bacchus was taken to Juan F. Luis Hospital before being airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. He died three months after the attack. His death was ruled a homicide.
Lawrence had initially been arrested on aggravated assault and related charges following the June attack and was released on bail. He was re-arrested and arraigned on first-degree murder charges last November after Bacchus died. At the time of his October court appearance, Lawrence had been living under house arrest — without electronic monitoring — with a third-party custodian in Tampa, Florida, while free on $1 million bail.
At a change of plea hearing on October 28, Lawrence pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder, with a stipulation that he will face no less than five years in prison, according to court documents. He returned to St. Croix for the October 29 trial date — on the same flight from Orlando as Bacchus's widow, Audrey, a close family friend said.
Lawrence's attorney, Allyson Croxton, asked that her client remain free on bail pending sentencing. Assistant Attorney General Kippy Roberson objected, citing the proximity of Lawrence's family home to the Bacchus residence where the attack occurred. Judge Ernest E. Morris Jr. sided with the prosecution and ordered Lawrence remanded into custody until his January 15 sentencing.
Bacchus, who was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and moved to St. Croix as a young man, was widely remembered as a beloved figure in the community. A GoFundMe campaign launched to help cover his medical expenses quickly raised more than $16,000.
His son, Duane Bacchus, posted a statement on Facebook updating the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Indian Heritage Foundation community on the outcome of the plea hearing. He described the judge's decision to remand Lawrence as carrying "a great deal of meaning" for his family.
"After a long and difficult journey, knowing that he is now in custody as we await sentencing, brings a sense of relief and reassurance that accountability is moving forward," Duane Bacchus wrote.
He acknowledged, however, that justice remains incomplete. "While this chapter is not yet closed, yesterday was a meaningful step toward justice for my father and some small measure of peace for our family. No court decision or sentence will ever bring Dad back, but knowing that there has been a measure of accountability brings us one step closer to the justice we have been seeking."
Duane Bacchus also invited those who knew his father to submit letters to the court advocating for a fair sentence, saying he would share details on how to do so at a later date.
Source: Google News VI — Crime