PACE, Fla. – Two Florida teenagers are in custody after deputies say a missing 14-year-old girl was found shot to death and set on fire.
What we know:
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said Danika Troy was reported as a runaway by her mother around 7 a.m. on December 1 in Pace.
“Unfortunately, for her mother, Danika was murdered the previous night,” Johnson said during a press conference on Thursday.
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On December 2, a passerby spotted Troy’s body off of Kimberly Road in Pace and called the sheriff’s office.
Dig deeper:
Johnson said investigators quickly developed two suspects, 16-year-old Gabriel Williams and 14-year-old Kimahri Blevins.
“This is what major crimes calls a ground ball,” Johnson explained. “The evidence pointed to them immediately. They took them into custody immediately.”
Courtesy: Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office
The sheriff stated that Williams stole his mother’s handgun and shot Troy.
Both teens are being held at the Department of Juvenile Justice on premeditated first-degree murder charges.Â
What they’re saying:
“It’s bad enough you kill a 14-year-old. You’re 14. You’re 16,” Johnson stated. “Shoot her multiple times, and then they set her on fire.”
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Johnson said the victim and the suspects knew each other from school.
What we don’t know:
Johnson said that the motive for the killing is still unknown.
“They have been interviewed, but the motive that they’re giving doesn’t fit the forensics or any facts of the case, so we don’t have a legit motive,” Johnson explained.
What’s next:
The sheriff said the next step is to get the teenage suspects charged as adults.
“We’re going to be working with the State Attorney’s Office to hopefully get these individuals charged as adults,” Johnson said. “You do an adult crime. You need to do adult time.”
The Source: This article was written with information presented by Sheriff Bob Johnson during a press conference on Thursday.