Man held without bail after knife assault on sister at Charlotte Amalie eatery

A 62-year-old St. Thomas man is in custody after police say he assaulted his sister with a knife at her restaurant early Thursday, October 15, during a row over their late mother's estate.

George Penn showed up at Diamond Barrel in Charlotte Amalie around 6:30 a.m. while his sister, Brendaly Penn, was readying the business to open. According to court documents, Penn had phoned her the day before demanding $600 and, when she declined, warned he would stab both her and another sister.

Inside the restaurant, Penn launched into a tirade of profanities, swept items off the service counter, and pursued his sister into the kitchen. There he obtained a white-handled knife from a table. When Brendaly questioned his intentions with the blade, Penn forced her back into the dining area, shoved her repeatedly, then seized her by the throat and choked her for roughly 45 seconds while still gripping the knife. As he left, he yanked a chain from around her neck, breaking it.

Officers and a forensic technician noted visible redness and a laceration on the victim's chest. Penn was arrested and moved to the Bureau of Corrections.

Charges against him include first-degree assault with domestic violence, second-degree assault with domestic violence, third-degree assault with domestic violence, first-degree robbery with domestic violence, destruction of property with domestic violence, and multiple counts of possessing a dangerous weapon during a crime of violence.

Penn declined to make a statement or cooperate with arrest procedures. He was due for an Advice of Rights hearing on Friday, October 16, before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Simone M. VanHolten-Turnbull. When he refused to appear, the judge ordered him held without bail and rescheduled the hearing for Monday, October 19, at 9:00 a.m.

The arrest marks Penn's second brush with the law in less than a year. In December 2025, he was charged with destruction of property and disturbance of the peace after an incident at a Red Hook gas station in which he allegedly threw a rock through a service window during a dispute.