Two Group Home Teens Kill Cab Driver

“A cellphone call asking for a Yellow Cab on Jan. 30 in the 7000 block of Bloxham Avenue played a key role in the arrest of three suspects in the killing of 62-year-old cab driver Melvin Gene Wright, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The homicide was Jacksonville’s 14th of the year.

Now two brothers ages 15 and 17 — who lived only a block away from the crime scene at a youth home for foster children — are in the Duval County jail on charges of murder and armed robbery, while a third teen is en route from Broward County to face the same charges, according to police.

Under arrest are Tionne Williams, 15, and his brother Tavione Maurice Williams, 17, both of whom lived at the Panama Youth Services facility at 402 E. 63rd St., police said. A third suspect, Deron Montreal Brown, 18, gave himself up in South Florida, police said.

The investigation began just before 10 p.m. on Jan. 30 when neighbors reported a Yellow Cab was parked at a vacant house in the Panama Park neighborhood with its headlights on, Lt. Steve Gallaher said. Wright was found lying on the front seat with a gunshot wound to the chest, and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Gallaher said Yellow Cab received a call for a cab at that site near Wakefield Avenue. Investigators linked that phone’s number with Tionne Williams, who lived at Panama Youth Services. That 7-year-old program provides residential services for hard-to-place foster care children between the ages of 13-17, according to its website.

Detectives interviewed several teens at the youth home and learned that three people planned to rob a taxi cab driver, masterminded by Brown, Gallaher said.

“He was armed with a .22-caliber rifle and the plan was that after he made the call and the cab arrived … the three of them together were going to commit the robbery,” Gallaher said. “Duron was to approach the driver with his .22-caliber rifle. Tionne was to take the money and Tavionne was to distract the driver by getting in the back seat as a real fare.”

Witnesses told police that the oldest boy pointed the gun at Wright, then fired it before everyone ran.

The youngest boys were arrested Jan. 31, while Brown turned himself in Feb. 2 in South Florida after a Jacksonville arrest warrant was issued, police said. Gallaher said he did not know if Brown had help getting to Broward County.

The State Attorney’s Office announced the arrest of three people Sunday in the killing, then the Sheriff’s Office gave their names and more details on Monday at a news conference.

Panama Youth Services CEO Willie Green did not return two telephone calls seeking comment Monday.

Panama Youth Services was investigated in 2014 by Department of Children and Families when one of its then 16-year-old residents had a foot severed by a moving train as he tried to make it back to the nonprofit facility before curfew. Jayson Ahrens was injured just after midnight on the railroad tracks near 56th and Main streets on the Northside, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

At the time, Green said youth at the facility were allowed to come and go as long as they first got permission, and must follow rules including returning by a nightly curfew.

Florida’s Department of Children and Families spokesman John Harrell said in an email Monday that “the recent incident involving teens who resided at the Panama Youth Services group home in Jacksonville represents tragic loss.” Harrell said the group home has had no significant safety violations. However he said DCF will immediately conduct a quality assurance review of services to ensure the children there “are as safe as possible while also having the freedom to experience a normal childhood.””

Teen trio arrested, charged in cabbie killing; two suspects are brothers in foster care [Jacksonville.com 2/8/16 by Dan Scanlan]

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