Two men in Florida have been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting down a mother and her 4-year-old daughter earlier this year while driving on the Turnpike late at night.
Beatrice Saintvil, 28, and her daughter Janelle were driving north on Florida’s Turnpike near Hollywood Boulevard and Mile Marker 49 on June 7 at around 11:15 p.m. when Antoine Harris, 28, and Jaquan Thomas, 29, opened fire on their vehicle, killing them, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
Police charged Harris and Thomas with two counts of murder on Friday, with Thomas being charged while incarcerated in Georgia for unrelated crimes and Harris being arrested in Miami Gardens on Friday after a “months-long” investigation.
“Harris will be extradited to Broward County,” the sheriff’s office announced in a press release. “Thomas is currently incarcerated in Georgia on unrelated charges and will also be extradited to Broward County.”
Transcripts of a 911 call placed by Saintvil on the night of the shooting show her attempting to communicate with her daughter during their final moments together, which occurred while they were parked on the left shoulder of the turnpike.
According to Miami Fox affiliate WSVN, the caller repeatedly said, ‘Where’s the baby?’ and ‘Get up, get up.'” According to police, Janelle died at the scene, while Saintvil died in hospital.
Anyley Cabrera, a motorist who was driving home from work that evening and saw Saintvil’s car on the side of the road, told Miami CBS affiliate WFOR that the vehicle appeared to have been decimated in a hail of bullets.
“The car was destroyed,” she explained.
Broward County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Claudinne Caro told WSVN about the brutal nature of the double homicide, which has yet to be linked to a motive: “This is one of those cases that truly breaks your heart.” We’re talking about a mother and her four-year-old daughter who were shot to death inside their vehicle.”
Authorities said earlier this year that they were investigating whether Saintvil and Janelle’s deaths were the result of a road rage incident or were targeted.
“Detectives have more questions than answers and they really need the public to come forward,” Caro said in a June interview. “Someone must have overheard something. Someone could have seen something.
Kyanna Librun, Saintvile’s sister, told Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ that she and other family members were desperate for answers after the shooting occurred.
“We want to know who did it,” she stated following the incident. “We want to see their face and ask why. Why? Why did a 4-year-old baby girl and a 27-year-old mother have no problems with anyone? We want to know why.
It is unclear how Harris and Thomas became involved in the shooting, but they are both charged with two counts of first-degree murder. A reward of $20,000 was offered for information that led to an arrest.
“Beatrice and Janelle had touched the lives of many with their warmth, kindness, and unwavering spirit,” according to a GoFundMe page set up by their family.
Following their extradition, their alleged killers are expected to be booked into Broward County’s Main Jail.
