Third Suspect in Florida Fatal Shootings of 3 Teens Arrested
Three teenagers were killed in rural Marion County, Florida, around March 30, and Florida authorities said that they had arrested the third suspect on Saturday, according to Fox News.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office and the United States Marshals Service assisted in the arrest of 16-year-old Tahj Brewton on Saturday evening, just south of Groveland, Florida, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Brewton was detained on outstanding warrants related to carjacking with a firearm, aggravated assault, auto theft, evading or attempting to evade law enforcement, and tampering with an electronic monitoring device, according to a Facebook post from the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Another Florida teen, 17, and a 12-year-old were arrested; the day before Brewton was taken into custody regarding the triple homicide. Brewton was at large at that time.
The three juvenile criminals "fled the scene but left a lot of evidence in their wake," according to Marion County Sheriff Billy Wood.
READ NEXT: Florida Teen, 12-Year-Old Boy Arrested Following Fatal Shooting of 3 Teens
Florida Fatal Shooting Suspects and Victims Were Associated with a Gang
The suspects knew each of the victims, and all of them were connected to a gang in one way or another, Woods told reporters, claiming that the gang was responsible for a series of burglaries and robberies, per NY Daily News.
"Basically, in simple terms, there is no honor among thieves," Woods said. "At some point, these three individuals turned on our three victims and murdered them."
Officials have only been able to positively identify one victim, 16-year-old Layla Silvernail, who was found with a gunshot wound on the side of a road in Ocklawaha on the evening of March 30.
She was taken to the hospital immediately but sadly passed away there.
The body of a 17-year-old boy who had been shot was found nearby the following morning, said Woods.
The third body was a 16-year-old Camille Quarles, discovered Saturday after investigators spotted Silvernail's car half submerged in the water close to the Malauka Loop. Quarles was inside the trunk.
Suspects Admit the Florida Fatal Shootings
The detained Florida teen suspects admitted to shooting Quarles inside the car, said Woods, adding that they obtained the firearms from car thefts but did not elaborate on how many were used in the murders, The Daily Mail reported.
"We have nothing to say that it was any rivalry or anything to such that cause," Wood said about the suspects' motive.
Woods claimed that the three young boys' purported killings were a mess and that they had scattered evidence all over the area.
Fears that a serial killer was at large in the small town of Ocklawaha were initially generated by the proximity of the victim's remains, but authorities quickly dispelled those rumors.
After the gruesome finds, police initiated an immediate investigation and called the killings an "isolated incident."
Due to their family exercising their right under Marsy's Law, which permits crime victims or their families to request that their names be hidden from public records, the third victim's identity has not been made public since Silvernail and Quarles were identified as the victims.
It was eventually determined that the unnamed victim had been wearing all black and had a black mask over his face when he was discovered dead.
A Florida student claims she discovered the body of a 17-year-old kid sprawled on the side of a dirt road early on Friday morning while running to catch the school bus.
READ MORE: Missing Minnesota Mother Vanished Under 'Suspicious' Circumstances
This is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Bert Hoover
WATCH: 'Armed and dangerous': $10k reward for teen wanted in murder of 3 Florida teens - From FOX 35 Orlando
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!