Father of teen accused in DeLand double homicide arrested, affidavit reveals possible motive
DELAND, Fla. —
The father of a teen accused in the murders of two teens who were childhood friends in Volusia County has also been arrested, according to the DeLand Police Department.
Police identified the father as 41-year-old Daytron W. Etkins.
Etkins was taken into custody at his residence on charges of felony accessory after the fact after police said he knowingly assisted his son after the homicides.
Teen suspect
The son, Keyan Jayden Rundell, 17, of DeLand, was identified as the murder suspect and was arrested in Manatee County on Wednesday after police asked the public for help in locating him.
Rundell is accused of two counts of second-degree murder. DeLand Police Chief Jason Umberger said that while the motive is still unclear, they believe the victims and the shooter knew each other.
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The investigation started after two young men, Dustin Rose, 19, and Samson Campbell, 18, were found with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced dead in DeLand.
Last time victims were seen before DeLand double murder
Rose is from DeLeon Springs and had been living in South Carolina, where he was a student at the Citadel and a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard.
Campbell is from DeLand and had recently moved to Chicago.
Family members told WESH 2 the friends were in town to spread the ashes of a pet.
Prurince Dice with DeLand Police Department said, “Family relationships do not place anyone above the law or excuse conduct that interferes with a criminal investigation.
“Atkins knowingly assisted his son following the homicide and took actions intended to help him avoid law enforcement.”
Etkins has a criminal history in at least three Florida counties.
Police affidavit
A non-arrest affidavit written by DeLand police and made public on Friday states a loaded 9mm handgun was located in the crook of one of Campbell’s arms when he and Rose’s bodies were found behind the theatre, as well as that Rose had a canister of self-defense pepper spray in one of his hands. A plastic bag that was found near the victims contained a green leafy substance that tested presumptive positive for cannabis, the affidavit states.
Detectives canvassed the area and reviewed footage from multiple surveillance systems that reportedly shows Rose and Campbell in Chess Park before they walked in the direction of the Athens Theatre. Around the same time, a suspect — whose name is redacted but was identified in the affidavit as Etkins’ son — was seen riding an e-bike toward the same area, according to the affidavit.
“Surveillance footage showed that (the suspect) stopped at the northwest corner of the Athens Theatre, and remained stationary for 7-8 seconds, during this time the individual appeared to be manipulating his front waistband. This (suspect) then traveled into the secluded area behind the Athens Theatre where the deceased bodies of Samson and Dustin were later found. (The suspect) remained out of view for approximately three minutes before reappearing on the surveillance footage and departing the area on the electric bicycle traveling north towards Rich Avenue,” police wrote.
While riding the e-bike away from where the shooting took place, the suspect was said to be observed wiping his face and spitting in a way that investigators saw as consistent with someone who had just been pepper sprayed, according to the affidavit.
After a subpoena was submitted to AT&T for Campbell’s contact history and a confidential source was shown a photographic lineup including a picture of the suspect who was riding the e-bike, investigators then obtained a search warrant for a residence and located an e-bike consistent with that which was seen in the earlier footage, the affidavit states.
Detectives reviewing CCTV footage from the home reported observing the suspect pacing around inside of the residence, talking to someone on the phone, removing his clothes, and pouring milk on his face “in an attempt to counteract the effects of being pepper sprayed,” the affidavit states.
The suspect was soon seen opening the door for and speaking with a second confidential source, as well as meeting with, embracing, and speaking with Etkins, according to the affidavit.
Investigators noted while searching the home that a grill outside smelled of burned plastic and appeared to contain burned clothing. The CCTV footage further showed the suspect carrying clothing while following Etkins to the grill outside, the affidavit states.
“Etkins removed a cigarette from his mouth and appeared to speak to (redacted.) (Redacted) immediately nodded in acknowledgment before opening a patio umbrella. The umbrella was strategically positioned in a manner that obstructed the surveillance camera’s view of the grill and the area where evidence was later determined to have been intentionally burned,” police wrote.
A detective then queried an SUV that was seen on the surveillance footage at the home, the affidavit describes.
“(The detective) queried the vehicle through the FLOCK database, which revealed that it had been detected several times over the past several days in the Eustis area. (The detective) knew that (redacted)’s father, Daytron Etkins, resided in Eustis,” police said.
Detectives later made contact with the mother of the confidential source who was seen at the home with Etkins and the suspect, soon meeting with the individual herself, according to the affidavit. That individual told police that she had first met the suspect about three months prior “and that she regularly purchased marijuana and THC cartridges from him,” the affidavit states.
The individual told police that the suspect FaceTimed her around an hour after the deadly shooting “and sounded as if he was panicking, and begging her to come over to his house.”
The affidavit continues, stating the following:
“(The individual) advised that he would not say why on the phone, and that when she arrived, he quickly ushered her inside and appeared paranoid, and kept checking the front door to make sure it was locked, and the peephole to make sure no one else was there. (The individual) stated that (redacted) stated that he was supposed to meet someone earlier that day to sell marijuana, but that he received a phone call from either Dustin or Sam (the names she advised she saw on the news), and decided to meet and sell to them instead. (The individual) stated (redacted) told her he had sold to one of them before, and that he had gone to meet them behind the Athens Theatre.
“(A detective) asked (the individual) if she knew (redacted) to carry or own a firearm, and she stated that she did, but could only state that it was black in color. According to (the individual), (redacted) stated that he had the marijuana and gun in a plastic bag, and rode his e-bike to meet them. (Redacted) told (the individual) that when he got to the area behind the old trailer, and that one of the boys had a gun’ and the other ‘had pepper spray.’ (The individual) stated that went on to state that the ‘bigger boy’ had ‘went behind him’ and was trying to rob him and take the weed he was selling them. According to (redacted), the boys asked to smell the marijuana, took the marijuana out of the plastic bag to do so, leaving the firearm with (redacted). (The individual) stated that one of the boys also had ‘a pouch’, referring to the sling and zipper bag Dustin was found wearing. According to (redacted), one of them walked behind him and tried to ‘spray him’. (The individual) stated that he told her that one of them pointed their gun at him, and asked him ‘where the money was at’, and continued that they allegedly told him they would ‘kill’ him. (Redacted) stated when they took his marijuana, he ‘panicked’ and ‘grabbed his gun and shot them both.’
“(The individual) stated (redacted) told her that he ‘left the gun there.’ When asked why he did not call police and give him his version of events if he was acting in self-defense, she claimed told her he did not think anyone would want to hear it because ‘he’s black and they’re white.'”
Police said further that Etkins had returned to the scene to retrieve the firearm that the suspect used in the shooting.
>> This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is released.