Free Republic

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced for his role in three Marion County murders that took place in early 2023 when he was just 12 years old. Christopher Atkins was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of Camille Quarles in 2023. Quarles was one of three victims in a string of murders, the other two victims being Layla Silvernail and Michael Hodo Jr. Atkins was charged in the murders alongside Robert Robinson and Tahj Brewton, who were 17 and 16 years old at the time of the killings. Robinson and Brewton entered no...

OCALA, Fla. – The Marion County Sheriff’s Office has made arrests in the case of three teens who were recently found shot to death. Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods will hold a news conference at 9:30 a.m. Friday “regarding breaking news updates and arrests in the recent triple-homicide in Ocklawaha.”

The three Florida teens whose bullet-riddled bodies were found abandoned in separate places last week were all friends and their deaths may be connected to a “wannabe gang,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods revealed Tuesday. The new details emerged as the tiny community of Ocklawaha, Florida, has continued to reel since the teens’ slaying—with “crazy rumors” spreading about a potential serial killer, despite repeated assurances from authorities the teens were shot dead in an isolated incident.

Richard Jones was exploring Ocala National Forest with his family when they captured a photo of a raccoon balancing on an alligator.A Florida man exploring Ocala National Forest has captured an unusual photo of what appears to be a raccoon riding an alligator. Richard Jones, of Palatka, told several local media outlets Sunday that he and his family were searching the Oaklawaha River for alligators, when his son accidentally startled a raccoon out of its hiding place. "It must have been asleep because it stumbled toward the water and hoped on top of the gator we were watching," Jones...