Vern Evans
A 14-year-old Florida teen warming the bench in a juvenile detention facility has picked up a second-degree murder charge in connection with his 2023 fatal shooting of a 19-year-old, according to deputies. As if not depressing enough to question the fate of humanity, with kids this young acting this violently, the incident took place during a gun sale gone wrong.
It has been almost a year since the then-13-year-old runaway set up a meeting with 19-year-old Griffin Chase Smith at a Dollar General in Ocala, intending to sell him a Glock. The two had been texting back and forth about the transaction with the 13-year-old demanding payment in cash before ultimately settling for a CashApp payment, according to conversations included in the arrest affidavit.
Needless to say, the transaction didn’t go as planned. Witnesses to the incident say the 13-year-old wanted to extort additional money from Smith by claiming the $350 CashApp payment didn’t go through, but Smith, who had already had the Glock in hand and had made the payment, drove off in his truck, according to investigators.
That’s when authorities say the 13-year-old began shooting, striking Smith in his vehicle which he ultimately drove off the road until it came to a stop in a line of trees.
Deputies say first responders had to break the bullet-riddled truck’s windows to rescue Smith from the vehicle, though he succumbed to his injuries a short while later at the hospital. During the investigation, authorities found 14 rifle shell casings at the scene of the crime.
One year later, the boy, who is now 14, is being charged with second-degree murder, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. He was being held in juvenile detention when the charge was added. Over the last year, deputies have reviewed phone location records, conducted DNA swaps and interviewed witnesses, leading to the teen’s murder charge.
The suspect is accused of fleeing the scene, however, authorities took him into custody shortly after in nearby Alachua County where he was found with a stolen vehicle, prompting a brief chase, according to deputies.
The 14-year-old suspect is not being identified because he hasn’t been charged as an adult at this time, however, it is very clear, he was not on the path to becoming a model citizen and society is better off with such a person locked away well into adulthood..
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