DISTRICT COURT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS 
DIVISION OF ST. THOMAS AND ST. JOHN 
UNITED STATES, 
Plaintiff, 
v. 
ROLAND G. MURRELL 
Defendant. 
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Case No. 3:13-cr-0010 
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ORDER 
 
BEFORE THE COURT is the motion of Roland G. Murrell for compassionate release. 
(ECF No. 125.) For the reasons stated below, the Court will deny the motion without 
prejudice. 
 
On July 5, 2013, a jury found Murrell guilty of several federal and territorial crimes 
related to a January 28, 2015, robbery and shooting. Murrell was sentenced to 200 months 
imprisonment on the federal convictions to be served consecutively with 30 years 
imprisonment on the territorial convictions.     
 
On May 14, 2020, Murrell filed a motion for compassionate release. (ECF No. 125.) In 
his motion, Murrell asserts that the COVID-19 pandemic presents an extraordinary and 
compelling reason to warrant relief under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A).  
Title 18, Section 3582 of the United States Code (“Section 3582”) provides in 
pertinent part that 
(A) the court, . . . upon motion of the defendant after the defendant has fully exhausted 
all administrative rights to appeal a failure of the Bureau of Prisons to bring a motion 
on the defendant’s behalf or the lapse of 30 days from the receipt of such a request by 
the warden of the defendant’s facility, whichever is earlier, may reduce the term of 
imprisonment . . ., after considering the factors set forth in section 3553(a) to the 
extent that they are applicable, if it finds that— 
(i) extraordinary and compelling reasons warrant such a reduction; . . . 
. . . 
and that such a reduction is consistent with applicable policy statements issued by 
the Sentencing Commission. 
18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1).   
Case: 3:13-cr-00010-RAM-RM   Document #: 126   Filed: 06/04/20   Page 1 of 2
United States v. Murrell 
Case No. 3:13-cr-0010 
Order 
Page 2 of 2 
 
The Third Circuit has explained that, before a defendant may file a motion for 
compassionate release pursuant to Section 3582(a)(1)(A), either (1) the Bureau of Prisons 
(“BOP”) must have had 30 days to consider the defendant’s request that the BOP move for 
compassionate release on his behalf, or (2) the defendant must administratively exhaust an 
adverse decision by the BOP in response to that defendant’s request within that time period. 
See United States v. Raia, 954 F.3d 594, 597 (3d Cir. 2020). Failure to comply with Section 
3582(c)(1)(A)’s exhaustion requirement “presents a glaring roadblock foreclosing 
compassionate release.” See id. 
Murrell does not assert that he requested the BOP to move for compassionate relief 
on his behalf. Accordingly, the Court will deny Murrell’s motion for failure to exhaust his 
administrative remedies. 
The premises considered, it is hereby 
ORDERED that Murrell’s motion for compassionate release docketed at ECF Number 
125 is DENIED without prejudice. 
  
 
Dated: June 4, 2020  
 
 
/s/ Robert A. Molloy  
 
 
 
  
 
 
ROBERT A. MOLLOY 
 
District Judge 
Case: 3:13-cr-00010-RAM-RM   Document #: 126   Filed: 06/04/20   Page 2 of 2