The Flagler County Sheriff's Office has announced new charges against six people in connection with the December 2007 shooting death of a Palm Coast man. Investigators say five of the suspects are members of the "Bloods Gang" who were arrested in October in state racketeering charges. They said the sixth suspect is the girlfriend of the identified gang leader.
The suspects are:
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- Brandon Washington, 22, charged with second degree murder, principle to burglary while armed with a firearm and principle to attempted home invasion with a firearm. He is currently in the St. Johns County Jail.
- Michael Gilbert, 23, charged with second degree murder, principle to burglary while armed with a firearm and principle to attempted home invasion. He is currently in the St. Johns County Jail.
- Meghan Smith, 23, charged with second degree murder, principle to burglary while armed with a firearm and principle to attempted home invasion with a firearm. She was arrested in Volusia County this afternoon, and is being booked into the Flagler County Jail.
- Christopher Key, 21, charged with burglary while armed with a firearm and attempted home invasion with a firearm. He is currently incarcerated in the state prison system.
- Paraskevas Hantzos, 23, charged with principle to burglary while armed with a firearm and principle to attempted home invasion with a firearm. Hantzos is currently incarcerated in the state prison system.
- Hector Echevarria, 21, charged with burglary while armed with a firearm and attempted home invasion with a firearm. He was arrested Thursday afternoon in Flagler County.
According to the sheriff's office, the six suspects met on the evening of Dec. 18, 2007, at a Palm Coast home, to plan the armed invasion of a home on Pheasant Drive in Palm Coast. Investigators said Rashawn Pugh forced his way into the home of Sean Adams. Pugh was then shot and killed. The sheriff's office said Pugh, along with Echevarria and Kee, planned to enter the home armed with firearms, and rob Adams of any money and drugs that might be present. Investigators said the purpose of the robbery was to obtain money to bail out other members of their gang who were in jail.
According to investigators, before the home invasion took place, Smith went to a relative's home in Palm Coast and stole a .380-caliber handgun. They said the stolen gun was given to Pugh before the six headed to the Pheasant Lane address.
After the home invasion, the sheriff's office says the five suspects then traveled to the home of Washington and Smith in St. Augustine where they cleaned the firearm in the bathroom sink and disposed of it in a body of water in St. Augustine.
The Office of Statewide Prosecution will handle the case in cooperation with state attorney R.J. Larizza.