12-year-old and teen charged in Florida triple killing of other teens
- The victims were found along a roadside and in the boot of a partially submerged vehicle
- Police are seeking another teenager in connection with the case
A teenager and a 12-year-old have been charged in the deaths of three teens whose bodies were found along a Florida roadside and in the boot of a partially submerged vehicle, authorities said Friday. Another teen is being sought.
Law enforcement officials were “shocked” by the young ages of the victims and alleged killers, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said at a news conference. The older suspect in custody is 17, and police are still searching for a 16-year-old.
The two suspects in custody are charged with first-degree murder. The state attorney’s office is reviewing the case to determine whether the suspects will be charged as adults. Associated Press does not publish the names of juveniles unless they have been charged with adult crimes.
The shooting suspects and victims were all in a vehicle belonging to 16-year-old victim Layla Silvernail when the killings occurred, Woods said. Authorities have not released the names of the other two victims, a 16-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy. Woods said the three who died were in the vehicle on their own free will.
The night of the March 30 shooting, deputies found Silvernail on the side of a road in rural Marion County in northern Florida. She later died from a gunshot wound, the sheriff said.
The next morning, deputies were called to a nearby location where a teenage boy was found dead, also from a gunshot wound, Woods said.