Over seven years later, Florida officials identified three suspects allegedly involved in the tragic murder of Christin Cassels.
The Alachua Sheriff’s Office identified the suspects in a Facebook post on Thursday. Keneth Altidor was arrested in Fort Lauderdale on July 15. Officials arrested Blake Jackson in Hollywood the following day. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the arrests.
The third suspect is Nikenson Perin, who is in a Seattle federal prison for an unrelated incident.
Cassels was fatally shot in the back on April 21, 2017, outside of her home in Hawthorne. The suspects were allegedly attempting to rob her home.
The incident happened five days before Cassels’ 24th birthday. She had recently graduated from college, where she was studying to be a medical assistant.
“I would like to commend our detectives for their diligence during the past seven years in pursuing justice for Christin,” Alachua County Sheriff Emery Gainey said in a statement. “A special thank you to the detectives from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office for assisting us capture these violent individuals. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cassels family at this time.”
The three suspects will be extradited back to Alachua County. They are being held without bond on first-degree murder charges.
Cassels was with her boyfriend, who was inside the home when the shooting happened. He then ran outside and fired back at the suspects.
The crime rocked the small, rural community, which has a population of under 1,500 people.
Cassels grew up in the town, along with her two sisters and brother. She was a family-oriented person who was very close with her parents and siblings.
“I was numb, I was happy, I was joyful, and couldn’t believe this finally happened,” Christin’s mother Brenda Cassels told WCJB.
Brenda Cassels said her daughter grew up with Jackson and worked for his mother.
“I always knew Blake had something to do with it, and his whole family would lie about it, and they were supposed to have been friends with my daughter,” Brenda Cassels said.
Detectives are continuing to pursue additional leads in the case with help from the State Attorney’s Office, according to the sheriff’s office.
Anyone with information about the murder or the suspects is being asked to contact 352-955-1818.
Individuals who want to remain anonymous can contact Alachua County Crime Stoppers Inc at 352-372-STOP(7867), download the Crime Stoppers app or visit https://www.stopcrime.tv/.
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