MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A man and a teenager are facing second-degree murder charges in what is an apparent act of retaliation over the summer for a justifiable homicide the victim had been cleared of, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Ralph Fontil, 23, and 17-year-old Brandon Jordan Merizier were both arrested Tuesday on second-degree murder charges.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
On June 5, the sheriff’s office received a shooting call in the area of Northwest 62nd Place in Ocala Park Estates. The victim, 18-year-old Kobe Bradshaw, was found shot. He was transported to the hospital, where he later died.
READ: Alert mail carrier helps Orlando woman, 71, uncover fraud scheme being carried out in her name
Detectives investigated over several months and used forensic evidence, video surveillance and cellular phone records to prove that Fontil and Merizier killed Bradshaw, the sheriff’s office said.
“The investigation also revealed the murder was an act of apparent retaliation against Bradshaw, who had only a few days before been cleared of wrongdoing in connection with a justifiable homicide of an associate of the suspects that occurred in the City of Ocala in December 2020,” the sheriff’s office said.
READ: Brooklyn woman accused of ‘execution-style’ shooting nabbed in Florida, cops say
Fontil is being held at the Marion County Jail without bond. Merizier is in juvenile custody, also without bond, and will be transferred to the Marion County Jail upon being charged as an adult.
READ: Florida man who stabbed and stuffed puppy in a suitcase sentenced
This browser does not support the video element.
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.