Two boys, ages 17 and 12, have been arrested and a third juvenile is being sought in connection with the killings of three Florida teenagers who were all found fatally shot within days of each other.
Robert Le’Andrew Robinson, 17, and Christopher De’l Atkins, 12, have been charged with first-degree murder, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The third suspect, 16-year-old Tahj Brewton was still at large as of Friday afternoon.
The suspects knew each of the victims and all six of them were associated with a gang “in some shape or form,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods told reporters. He said the group was involved in committing burglaries and robberies.
“Basically, simple terms, there is no honor among thieves,” Woods said. “At some point, these three individuals turned on our three victims and murdered them.”
Authorities have so far identified only one of the victims — 16-year-old Layla Silvernail, who was found suffering from a gunshot wound along the side of an Ocklawaha road the night of March 30. She was rushed to the hospital, where she died a short time later.
The next morning, the body of a 17-year-old male was discovered a short distance away. He too had been shot, Woods said.
The third victim, a 16-year-old female, was found on Saturday when authorities located Silvernail’s vehicle partially submerged in a body of water near the Malauka Loop. She was dead inside the trunk of the vehicle.
Robinson and Atkins both allegedly confessed to shooting her, according to Woods.
The Marion County State Attorney’s office is reviewing whether the suspects will be tried as adults.