Third suspect arrested in killings of Florida teens
- Police say the third suspect is 16 years old
- The victims are all believed to be friends, according to investigators
- Police believe the crime was gang related
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OCALA, Fla. (NewsNation) — A 16-year-old boy wanted as part of an investigation into the killings of three teenagers in central Florida was captured by authorities, days after another teenager and a 12-year-old were charged in the deaths.
The teen was arrested Saturday by U.S. marshals in Groveland, Florida, located 30 miles west of Orlando. He is facing charges of carjacking with a firearm, aggravated assault, grand theft of a motor vehicle, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer and tampering with an electronic monitoring device, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The two suspects previously in custody were charged with first-degree murder last week. Prosecutors are reviewing the case to determine whether the suspects will be charged as adults.
The shooting suspects and victims were all in a vehicle belonging to 16-year-old Layla Silvernail at the time of the killings, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said at a news conference last week. Authorities say Silvernail was killed, but they have not released the names of the other two victims, a 16-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy.
Woods said everyone in the vehicle was involved in gangs and the three who died were in there of their own free will.
Initially, some speculated that the deaths were the work of a serial killer, but investigators ruled out that possibility.
Police confirmed all six knew each other, but have no specific evidence that a rivalry caused the deaths. Woods also dismissed the idea that stricter gun laws may have prevented the incident.
“We cannot blame the gun,” Woods said. “It was these individuals who committed the crime.”
Woods blamed society for failing the teens, and said schools need to stop minimizing the actions of their students.
“Last night, I had to stare into the eyes of two mothers. It was not their fault. I saw two mothers who were willing to give their sons everything,” Woods said.
Woods credited the work of all departments involved for quickly finding those believed to be responsible.
“An almost perfect collaboration to come to a conclusion in a week on a triple homicide,” he said. “Is truly amazing.”
NewsNation writer Stephanie Whiteside and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
