BROOKSVILLE, Fla. (WFLA) — The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office announced it arrested three men for a murder that happened in Spring Hill Wednesday morning.
Sheriff Al Nienhuis said that at 4:45 a.m., a 911 caller reported that someone was screaming inside a home on Marquette Street.
“It was very difficult initially to figure out what was going on,” the sheriff said.
However, the caller eventually reported that someone had been shot, prompting deputies to respond within four minutes.
Two women were shot, and one was killed, Nienhuis said. The sheriff also said there were four other family members in the house, including three children.
Investigators said the violence began when Jazier Martinez, 22, tried to rob one of the victims while she was engaging in a sex act with him for money.
It was then that two other men outside the home, 20-year-old Dawson Deskins and 19-year-old Landen Runyon, forced their way inside and into the bedroom, Nienhuis said.
According to the sheriff’s office, the first victim and another woman living in the home, who was not involved in the criminal activity, fought back and got into a gunfight with the three men.
The first victim shot Runyon in the face and Deskins in the stomach, authorities said. However, Nienhuis said she was fatally wounded while the other woman was significantly injured.
Runyon and Martinez were arrested at their homes while Deskins was found all the way to Kentucky. Nienhuis said Deskins had been taken to a hospital there after meeting with a family member.
The sheriff said one of the suspects mentioned that the victims were targeted due to a social media post. Nienhuis showed photos of stacks of cash that were posted on Facebook, which he said could have caused the attack.
“Going forward, individuals need to know what they post on social media can attract criminal activity, particularly when they’re involved in a high-risk lifestyle,” he said.
Nienhuis said criminals target people involved in illicit activities in the hopes that the crimes do not get reported.
Martinez was charged with principle to murder in the first degree, principle to attempted murder in the first degree, and possession and discharge of a firearm causing bodily harm. Deskin and Runyon were charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and shooting at or within a building, Nienhuis said.
