25 YEARS IN PRISON FOR FREDERIKSTED MURDER

Calijah Brewley sentenced for killing 19-year-old Selena Chitolie, who was shot while riding with family in search of a rental home in Mount Pleasant in 2020

By Freedom City Times News Desk

Oct 16, 2026

FREDERIKSTED, ST. CROIX — More than six years after the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Selena Chitolie, Calijah Brewley has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for her murder, bringing a significant development in a case that devastated a family and shook the Frederiksted community.

The Virgin Islands Department of Justice announced Friday, October 16, that 25-year-old Brewley received the sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in connection with Chitolie’s death. Superior Court Judge Alphonso Andrews imposed the sentence on October 8, 2026.

Family came under gunfire while searching for a home

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The deadly incident occurred on May 15, 2020, when Chitolie was traveling with members of her family through the Mount Pleasant area of Frederiksted as they searched for a rental home.

According to the police affidavit referenced in the case, the family came under gunfire as they approached Evelyn M. Williams Elementary School.

Chitolie suffered a gunshot wound to the back of her neck. She was airlifted for further medical treatment but later died from her injuries.

Her mother, Nissa Camacho, was also shot in the neck and continues to carry a bullet fragment, according to the Department of Justice.

The circumstances of the shooting make the case particularly tragic: a family searching for a place to live found itself caught in gunfire, with fatal consequences for a young woman whose life was cut short at just 19 years old.

Guilty plea preceded sentencing by more than two years

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Brewley pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on May 6, 2024, under a plea agreement offered by former Department of Justice Criminal Chief Amie Simpson.

His sentencing took place more than two years after that guilty plea.

The case also included charges against three additional defendants: Jiovanni Smith, Jerome Wallace III and Maynard Caliquan, who was a minor at the time of the incident.

Smith previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 years in prison in September 2024. A motion to dismiss the case against Wallace has been filed, but the court had not ruled on that motion as of the Department of Justice’s October 16 announcement.

A painful reminder of the cost of gun violence

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Although Brewley’s sentence marks a major development in the case, it cannot reverse the loss suffered by Chitolie’s family or erase the lasting physical consequences of the shooting for her mother.

The case also underscores the devastating impact gun violence can have on families and communities across St. Croix. A single shooting can leave behind years of grief, trauma and unanswered questions for those affected.

As the legal proceedings involving the other defendants continue, the case remains a reminder of the importance of accountability, thorough investigations and efforts to prevent gun violence before more lives are lost.