ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A 23-year-old man was arrested in connection with the 2018 shooting death of a 15-year-old Boone High School student, Orange County Sheriff John Mina announced during a Friday morning news conference.
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Mina said Deandre Florence, now 23, fatally shot Alejandro “Alex” Vargas Martinez on Dec. 18, 2018, while he was walking to school.
He said Florence shot Vargas while trying to rob him of his cellphone; he was speaking on the phone with his mother at the time of the shooting.
On Tuesday, a grand jury returned a first-degree murder indictment against Florence.
He has been arrested on charges of first-degree murder, racketeering and robbery.
Read: Person of interest in death of Boone High School student jailed on another crime wants out
“We can’t image the pain, the suffering they have gone through,” Mina said of the victim’s family. “But we do hope this arrest has brought just a small measure of justice to their family.”
The victim’s mother described the pain she has had to endure during the almost five years since her son’s death.
“First things first: To God be the glory. Without him, nothing is possible,” she said. “These five years have been very hard for us. We think about Alex every single day. We talk about Alex every single day. There’s not one day that passes that we don’t mention Alex in our house.
At long last, & through collaboration with State Attorney Andrew Bain & the Statewide Prosecutor’s Office, an arrest has been made in the 2018 death of 15-year-old Alejandro “Alex” Vargas Martinez. Alex was walking to Boone HS when he was robbed, shot, and left to die in the… pic.twitter.com/gt30kaZ8uj
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) November 10, 2023
She said time has not eased the pain of her gut-wrenching loss.
“Losing a loved one is very painful -- extremely painful -- especially the way we lost Alex,” she said. “They say that time heals. But to be honest, it does not. It’s just a patch to a broken heart. We just have to live with it.”
But the victim’s mother said she knew an arrest would come, even if it took years.
Read: Sources: Persons of interest identified in fatal shooting of Boone High School student
“We never lost faith that this day was going to arrive,” she said. “We know that the truth is more powerful than anything. And we know that justice was on its way to be served.”
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See the suspect be taken to jail, and watch the full news conference below:
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