ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. — Seven years following her death on April 21, 2017, three suspects have been arrested in the death of Christin Cassels.
Cassels was killed in the small town of Hawthorne in Alachua County. She and her boyfriend had returned from a day at the beach. They were outside the home where they were staying, off US-301, when a group of people approached.
When Cassels tried to head back inside, the gunfire began.
In 2020, in an interview with First Coast News, Detective James Parker with the Alachua County Sherriff's Office said witnesses confirmed there were multiple suspects.
Parker did not believe Cassels was the target, saying that the suspects' plans went awry. He said they were after money and "potentially narcotics."
"They shot my baby like she was some damn dog on the street," Cassels' mother, Brenda Cassels, told First Coast News.
Parker said police were struggling to solve the case partially because Hawthorne is such a small town and the locals are loyal to each other. He believed community members knew what happened, but were withholding the information.
On Monday, the first suspect, Keneth Altidor, was arrested by the Broward County Sheriff's Office, assisting ACSO. On Tuesday, Blake Johnson was arrested in Hollywood, FL, also by BCSO. They are both in Broward County Jail awaiting extradition.
The third suspect, Nikenson Perin, was already in federal prison in Seattle, Washington. He will also be extradited to Alachua County.
ACSO says there are additional leads in the case and are still asking for information. If you know anything, call 352-955-1818, or you can remain anonymous by contacting Alachua County Crime Stoppers Inc at 352-372-7867, downloading the Crime Stoppers P3 Tips app or visit https://www.stopcrime.tv/.
