Miami Teen Facing Murder Charged In Slaying Of High School Football Coach

A teenager in Miami is facing murder charges after authorities say he shot and killed a local high school football coach.

Police say the 15-year-old was living at the victim’s home at the time of the murder. They say he had a close relationship with the defendant, stepping in after his father was killed several years earlier.

According to police, the defendant used the victim’s 9mm handgun to commit the crime. He allegedly approached the victim while in the den of his home with a black bag and shot him. The defendant allegedly then took over $7,000 of the victim’s money from the home and fled. Detectives say they found the murder weapon in a trash can outside the home shortly after the event.

The sound of gunfire in the home attracted the police, whom the defendant allegedly told that he was studying in a different room when the shots were fired. However, he was found to be in possession of the missing cash upon a subsequent search, and his mother allegedly told police that he confessed to the murder to her after he had been released from custody.

Prosecution of the case has been delayed due to questions about the mental health of the defendant. On four separate occasions the courts found him incompetent to stand trial. He also has a case pending in juvenile court for allegedly phoning in a bomb threat to a middle school in Georgia. The defendant was charged last week with second-degree murder and armed grand theft, and prosecutors say the will push to have him tried as an adult.

The Law Offices of Bjorn Brunvand have been representing people charged with capital murder, felony drug charges, drunk driving, government fraud, and white-collar crimes for over a quarter century. Contact our office today to discuss your Tampa Bay-area state or federal charges.