Palm Bay police arrest couple in connection with deadly shooting at ‘The Compound’

PALM BAY, Fla. — The Palm Bay Police Department said Monday afternoon that it arrested a couple in connection with a deadly shooting.

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On Tuesday, police said they had responded to a report of a missing 30-year-old person.

Investigators said Nicholas Mitchell’s roommate advised them that Mitchell was last seen Aug. 30 and had physical ailments.

“All available resources were utilized to search the immediate area of the victim’s residence as well as ‘The Compound,’ where information was gathered he may have last been known to be,” Palm Bay police Lt. Mike Roberts said. “When officers later conducted a computer search on the victim’s vehicle, it was learned it was seen in Alabama on Sept. 2.”

Detectives said they later learned that on Sept. 4, Mitchell’s vehicle was involved in a high-speed chase in Alabama, where the vehicle had crashed.

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They said it was being driven by Robert Paul Lanning III, 28.

Police said Lanning’s girlfriend, Rene Lemos, 41, arrived at the crash scene shortly thereafter and was arrested on charges relating to the pursuit in Alabama.

Detectives said they interviewed Lanning and Lemos, who both said they met with the victim Aug. 30 at a Circle K convenience store in Palm Bay.

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Police said the trio drove out to “The Compound” -- a vast, undeveloped area in Palm Bay -- in the victim’s vehicle and Lemos’ truck, and at some point, Mitchell was shot several times and Mitchell’s body was left along a road.

Investigators said Lanning and Lemos later left the area in Lemos’ truck and the victim’s vehicle.

Mitchell’s body was discovered Sept. 8 in a wooded area near Southwest Saint Andre and Warbler Avenue and taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office.

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Lanning was arrested in Marshall County, Alabama, on charges of first-degree murder and grand theft of a motor vehicle.

Lemos was arrested in Kennesaw, Georgia, and charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and grand theft of a motor vehicle.

Lanning and Lemos are both awaiting extradition back to Florida.

“There is no evidence the victim was a target of a hate crime based on their gender identity,” Roberts said. “Based on the investigation, this is a tragic and isolated incident, and the suspects responsible for this heinous crime are in custody.”

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