Miami teen accused of killing homeless man
July 20, 2015
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with second-degree murder after allegedly killing a homeless man in May of 2015.
On May 24th, the 16-year-old boy was fishing with his friend along the Miami River until around 2 p.m. when the defendant noticed a homeless man sleeping next to a wall adjacent to the Miami River, said investigators.
The boy and his friend reportedly walked over to the sleeping homeless man and woke him up. They began harassing the man, and according to the arrest report, the homeless man stood up and the 16-year-old pushed the man into the river.
Once the man fell into the water, the boy allegedly stole his bag, hopped on his bike and fled the scene, according to the station.
The next day, the homeless man's body was found by Miami Police after it washed ashore at NW North River Drive and West Flagler Street. The Medical Examiner's Office ruled the homeless man's death as a homicide.
On July 7th, the police were getting closer to identifying the suspect. The police interviewed the boy's friend who witnessed the incident, CBS News reported. During the interview, the friend was able to identify the homeless man from a photo.
After interviewing the defendant's friend, police subsequently arrested the teen on July 15th on second-degree murder charges.
On Friday, July 17th, the teen's parents learned about their son's arrest, reported CBS Miami. According to his parents, their son is a good kid and they couldn't believe that he was capable of hurting someone, let alone murder.
His parents said that their son had been living with his older brother and that they hadn't seen him for some time, reported the station.
The parents said that their son has a history of getting in trouble for fighting and that he has developmental problems and gets bullied at school.
According to the station, the parents said that they have attempted to get the court system involved to get their son in boot camp or another program that could help him.
PENALTIES FOR SECOND-DEGREE MURDER IN FLORIDAIn Florida, second-degree murder is covered under Sec. 782.04 of the Florida Statutes. Second-degree murder is the unlawful killing of another human being, without premeditation.
Under this section, second-degree murder is a felony of the first degree, punishable by a term not to exceed life imprisonment and up to a $10,000 fine.
Facing criminal charges in Miami-Dade County? Contact a Miami criminal defense lawyer from Donet, McMillan & Trontz, P.A. today. Our lawyers are available 24/7 to take your call!
