The parents of a Florida teen arrested for his involvement in the murder of a 15-year-old girl are accused of threatening the mom and dad of another defendant in the case, the Cape Coral Breeze reports.
On Friday, police in Cape Coral, near Ft. Myers, arrested 39-year-old Christopher D. Horne and 36-year-old Shanice Stewart on charges of threatening, tampering with, and coercing a witness.
Horne and Stewart are the parents of 16-year-old Christopher Horne: Jr., one of two teens charged with the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller.
The teen was killed on March 17 when she and two friends were robbed while leaving a movie theater. Gunshots were fired during the incident and struck the girl, killing her.
Police say Horne Jr. and another 16-year-old, Thomas Stein, perpetrated the robbery and shooting. Stein was arrested two days after the incident and Horne was taken into custody April 17.
Authorities allege that on March 18, one day after the shooting, Horne, Stewart and others threatened Stein’s parents, telling them to “keep quiet and not cooperate with law enforcement,” according to a press release from the Cape Coral Police Department. At one point, Horne allegedly displayed a gun toward Stein’s parents.
Horne Jr.’s aunt, 38-year-old Varaka Stewart, also is accused of threatening Stein’s parents.
After that day, the Steins told police they received multiple calls over several weeks urging them not to cooperate with police and that the caller claimed to know people who could harm them. The Steins said they were told if they did not stay quiet, they would be killed, according to Fox 4.
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[Feature Photo: Christopher D. Horne, Shanice Stewart, and Varaka Stewart/Lee County Sheriff’s Office]
