A solemn anniversary: One year after 3 Marion teens were killed, criminal cases proceed
It has been about a year since Marion was rocked by the deaths of three teenagers in the southeast part of the county and the subsequent arrests of three other young people.
When the bodies were found, rumors swirled that there was a serial killer on the loose. A news conference was called by authorities to put the community at ease and to provide details about the case.
Sheriff's deputies said the murders were cold-hearted and senseless. The victims' bodies were discovered abandoned and scattered within days of each other in Ocklawaha.
According to detectives, one body was found late at night by a dumpster on March 31. That victim, 16-year-old Layla Silvernail, died a week later at a local hospital. She had been shot.
Hours later on the morning of March 31, the body of the second victim, a 17-year-old boy, was located in the bushes off the side of the road. He too had been shot. His name was not released by law enforcement officials because at the time it was protected by Marsy's Law, which allows victims and their families to prevent release of the names of crime victims.
Then, on April 1, the body of the third victim, a 16-year-old girl not identified by officials because of Marsy's Law, was found in the truck of a car that was in a body of water. She had been shot. The car was owned by Layla, authorities said.
Base on their investigation, detectives said all three victims had been shot and killed on March 30.
Suspects arrested
Authorities said the victims and the defendants had been riding around together in a car and the plan was to burglarize vehicles. Then the shootings occurred.
The investigation led to the capture of the trio. Two were arrested on April 6, 2023 and the third on April 8. All three have been indicted, charged as adults, and are being held without bail.
If convicted at trial, they face life in prison.
At the time of their arrests, the defendants were age 12, 16 and 17. The oldest and youngest, both of Ocklawaha, were enrolled in alternative schools. The middle teen, who has a Silver Springs Shores address, was not attending school, officials said.
The youngest is now 13. His name is being withheld by the Star Banner because of his age. The 16-year-old is now 17, and his name is not being released by the paper for the same reason. The third, Robert Le'Andrew Robinson, is 18.
Authorities said before the brutal shootings, which were carried out at close range, two of the boys — the youngest and the oldest — were involved in a robbery and shooting.
Here's the latest on these criminal cases:
What charges do the co-defendants face?
Robinson and the two juveniles are charged with three counts of first-degree murder with a firearm, robbery with a firearm and evidence tampering. The 12-year-old was the youngest person to be indicted as an adult by the 5th Judicial Circuit, according to prosecutors.
Also, Robinson is charged with several other offenses including burglary of a conveyance while armed, grand theft of a firearm and grand theft of a motor vehicle. Those charges stemmed from an incident where detectives said he and his 12-year-old co-defendant allegedly robbed and shot a victim. Officials said that crime took place three hours before the murders.
Prosecutors dropped burglary, grand theft of a firearm, grand theft of a motor vehicle and petit theft against the youngest defendant, saying the likelihood of conviction at trial is minimal. Since he has been locked up, he was charged with battery on an inmate. That case is pending.
The 17-year-old co-defendant has charges of carjacking while armed, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and grand theft of a motor vehicle offenses against him that are still pending.
Which lawyers are handing the cases?
Assistant State Attorneys Rich Buxman and Toby Hunt are prosecuting the murder cases.
For the murder charges, Atkins is represented by Brenda Smith, a Umatilla private attorney. Robinson's lawyer is Kenneth Hamburg with the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel. The attorney for the 17-year-old is Charles Vaughn, a private lawyer from Inverness.
Charles Greene, a Tampa lawyer, is representing the 17-year-old for his other criminal charges, while Jeffrey Lee Stone from the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel is Robinson's attorney for his other charges.
Homicides: The latest on the Ocklawaha homicides: charges, other cases, legal representation
Which judge is handling the cases?
Circuit Judge Robert Hodges.
When are the next hearings?
The co-defendants are expected to be in court in September for pre-trial conferences.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Solemn anniversary: Cases ongoing for men accused of three murders
