TITUSVILLE, Fla. — The man accused of killing two people in Titusville in 2011 is now in the Brevard County jail, more than a year after he was announced as a suspect.
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On the evening of May 22, 2011, the bodies of 23-year-old Anquannette Skanes and 35-year-old Lapriet Jordan were found in their unit at the River Breeze Apartments on US-1.
At the time, investigators said then 40-year-old Larry Augusta Lee- with whom Skanes had a child- was a person of interest in the case, but they didn’t have the evidence to connect him to the murders.
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In April of last year, more than 10 years after the murders, Titusville police announced they’d developed enough evidence to confirm Lee’s involvement in the crime. Investigators say they believe Lee shot Skanes and stabbed Jordan.
On April 19, 2022, detectives issued a warrant for Lee’s arrest, charging him with both murders.
Lee, who was already a convicted felon, had been in the custody of the federal prison system since 2014 before he was charged with the murders.
According to court records, Lee just completed serving a federal sentence earlier this month from that unrelated case, which involved possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
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Now 52-years-old, Lee was booked into the Brevard County jail Wednesday evening on two counts of second degree murder.
He appeared before a Brevard County Judge for a first appearance Thursday afternoon where the court set no bond for him on both counts.
Lapriet Jordan’s sister, Latanya Burch, says she’ll be at every one of Lee’s future court hearings.
“I’m glad he’s finally charged with both murders,” Burch said. “I just thank God for one that he could be brought to justice. Now it’s been a long journey, and me myself, I took it very hard for years and years and years and years.”
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Burch says she’s hopeful now that Lee has finished serving his federal sentence, his double homicide case can finally move forward.
“We definitely have a long journey still,” Burch said. “I’m hoping that this case runs smoothly, that our family both get closure, justice after this.
According to court documents, in addition to forensic evidence, investigators have been able to place Lee at the location of the murders. He has entered a plea of not guilty.
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