Tahj Brewton: Third suspect, 16, arrested over triple homicide of Florida teens
MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA: A third teen suspect has been taken into custody for the murder of three Florida teenagers. Tahj Brewton, 16, was sought by investigators after two other teenagers Christopher Atkins,12, and Robert Robinson, 17, in connection to the shooting deaths of Camille Quarles, and Layla Silvernail, both 16 and a 17-year-old boy who remains unidentified.
On Saturday, April 8, Brewton was arrested by the United States Marshals in Groveland, Florida. The agency was assisted by the Marion County Sheriff's Office and Lake County Sheriff's Office. The other juveniles who were taken into custody last week have been charged with first-degree murder. The incident took place in Ocklawaha in less than a 48-hour period between March 30 and April 1, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office, reported People.
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What are the charges against Brewton?
With a string of outstanding warrants, Brewton was arrested for aggravated assault, carjacking with a firearm, grand theft of a motor vehicle, tampering with an electronic monitoring device, and fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer. According to authorities, Brewton will be facing additional charges. The three fatally shot teens were found in three separate locations.
Triple murder was 'gang-related'
In a press conference last week, Billy Woods, the Marion County Sheriff said that he believed all three shooting victims were involved in robberies and burglaries. The sheriff revealed that both the suspects and the victims were "associated with a gang," and added, "Basically, in simple terms, there is no honor among thieves. And at some point, these three individuals turned on our three victims and murdered them."
On March 30, investigators discovered the first victim, Silvernail before 11.00 pm. The 16-year-old was found suffering from a gunshot injury, lying on the side of the road. She was immediately shifted to a local hospital and was declared dead.
On March 31, at around 8.00 am, a 17-year-old boy who is yet to be identified was discovered dead from a gunshot wound was found on the side of the road. His body was located on SE 94th Street and SE 188th Court. At around 12.30 pm on April 1, Silvernail's abandoned car was found by investigators who discovered Quarles' fatally shot body inside the trunk of the vehicle which was half-sunk near the edge of a lake situated on Malauka Loop Trace and Malauka Loop.
