Two minors were arrested for their involvement in the fatal shooting of three teenagers in Florida, while the third suspect is still on the loose.
12-year-old Christopher Atkins and 17-year-old Robert Robinson are facing murder charges for the homicides of Layla Silvernail, Camille Quarles, and an unidentified male that occurred between March 30th to April 1st in Ocklawaha. According to authorities, the third suspect, 16-year-old Tahj Brewton, is still at large.
On Friday, Sheriff Billy Woods said he believes that the three victims had engaged in burglaries and robberies. Woods also added that both the victims and suspects were purportedly linked to a gang.
“Basically, in simple terms there is no honor among thieves,” the sheriff said. “And at some point, these three individuals turned on our three victims and murdered them.”
Silvernail was the initial victim found by investigators after she was located on the side of the road suffering from a gunshot wound. She was quickly taken to a hospital where she later died from her injuries. The next morning, deputies discovered an unidentified male who had been lethally shot on the side of the road. On April 1st, authorities located Quarles’ corpse in the trunk of Silvernail’s abandoned vehicle. The Sheriff disclosed that Quarles had also sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
Nevertheless, Woods acknowledged that aside from the evidence left at the scene, the arrests were aided by tips provided by the public, as well as local and federal law enforcement.
“This investigation has been a success because of several factors,” Woods added. “Our law enforcement partners with the FBI, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, State Attorney Bill Gladson’s Office, FDLE, the Ocala Police Department, my deputies, detectives, and forensics professionals, and finally, our citizens who provided numerous tips all along the way.”
