REVEALED: Boy, 17 and friend, 12, charged with killing three teenagers robbed man at gunpoint hours before their victims were shot dead, cops say

Daily Mail UK ^ | April 8, 2023 | Harriet Alexander

[Morgana]

The two boys arrested on charges of murdering three teenagers in central Florida robbed a man at gunpoint, hours before their victims were found shot dead, police said.

Robert Robinson, 17, and 12-year-old Christopher Atkins had arranged to meet a man and sell him a gun for $240 on the evening of March 30. They drove up to his house shortly after 7pm, and the prospective buyer got inside their vehicle.

The gun was placed on the buyer's lap who then took $240 from his pocket. The weapon was snatched back by one of the boys: Robinson pistol-whipped the man, and then the pair aimed their guns at the man, according to a police report.

The prospective buyer scrambled out the car and ran towards his house: one shot was fired towards him, and the white sedan sped off.

Surveillance camera footage captured the gunshot noise at 7:10pm.

The car belonged to a member of the Silvernail family, the police report states.

At 10:52pm that same night, Layla Silvernail, 16, was found dying from a gunshot wound.

Her body had been dumped in a dumpster.

The redacted police does not reveal whether Layla was in the car at the time of the armed robbery, less than four hours before she was found dying. It does suggest that a member of the family was with the two thieves.

A female was with the group shortly before the armed robbery.

[jmacusa]

Fry them.