Suspects in Pines man’s murder moved to Broward after Texas arrest, records show
Two men arrested in Texas in connection with the late-January killing of a Pembroke Pines man at a boat ramp have been handed over to Broward authorities, according to county records.
Jayden DeJesus, a 19-year-old from Miami, and Trevon Quinones, an 18-year-old from Forney, Texas, were booked into Broward Main Jail on Monday, Feb. 23, for the alleged murder of 22-year-old Hunter Howell, jail records show.
They’re being held at the facility with no bond as of Feb. 24 and face charges of first-degree murder with a firearm as well as tampering with or fabrication physical evidence, officials said.
Officers responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle parked at the West Broward Boat Ramp, 3451 N. U.S. 27, around 8:41 a.m. on Feb. 1, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 12 statement.
Howell’s body was inside the vehicle, with the Broward Medical Examiner’s Office determining his death shortly after, per BSO. Police say he was likely killed on Jan. 31.
DeJesus and Quinones were arrested Feb. 11 in Kaufman County, Texas, following a traffic stop involving Kaufman deputies, BSO’s Violence Intervention Proactive Enforcement Response and the U.S. Marshal’s Office in Dallas.
Family members of the 22-year-old victim believe the pair were Howell’s acquaintances, not close friends, NBC6 reported on Feb. 24.
“That was too easy for them, and it was meaningless, and that means you’re ruthless, you’re heartless, and you’ll do it for the rest of your life if you didn’t do it along the way to Texas,” Linda Howell, his mother, told NBC6 in early February.
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Howell’s loved ones described him as a generous and kind man who “would literally give the shirt off his back” to those in need in a GoFundMe, which has raised over $5,500 as of Feb. 24, that was organized to cover funeral costs.
“Hunter was only 22 years old — a life that was just beginning, full of promise, and anchored by a smile that could truly light up any room,” reads the fundraiser’s note. “We want to give Hunter the proper, dignified service he deserves — a final ‘thank you’ for the joy and laughter he brought into our lives.”
