A 12-year-old kid who was arrested in connection with the shooting deaths of three teenagers in Marion County in 2023 has pled guilty, according to court records.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, fourteen-year-old Christopher Atkins and two others — Tahj Brewton, now 18, and Robert Robinson, now 19 — were arrested in April 2023 and charged as adults with the shooting deaths of 16-year-old Layla Silvernail, 16-year-old Camille Quarles, and 17-year-old Michael Hodo Jr. in the Ocklawaha area.
In May, a grand jury indicted Robinson and Brewton on three counts of first-degree murder, and Atkins on one. All three were charged with armed robbery and tampering with physical evidence.
According to the Ocala StarBanner, Atkins entered a guilty plea to all charges during Wednesday’s hearing, which lasted less than an hour. He may face a minimum of 40 years to a maximum of life in prison on the murder and robbery charges.
Silvernail’s body was discovered on the side of the road in the Forest Lakes Park neighborhood on March 30, 2023, while Hodo’s body was discovered hours later on March 31 — shot on the side of the road near SE 94th Street and SE 188th Court — and Quarles’ body was discovered April 1 in Silvernail’s vehicle, which was partially submerged near a body of water near Malauka Loop and Malauka Loop Trace, according to Sheriff Billy Woods.
Robinson and Atkins both admitted to shooting the girl found in the trunk, Woods said, adding that Atkins’ role in the crime was “that he shot the third victim, who (was) in the trunk of the car.”
Read More – Missouri woman admits to killing sleeping Boyfriend over Flirty messages to other Girl, gets 35 Years
