Deputies have named a suspect in the April shooting that left a Hawthorne woman dead.
On May 6, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release that Blake Carrington Jackson, 21, is now a suspect in the murder of Christin Marie Cassels, 23, after he was arrested in Pleasantville, New Jersey.
Jackson was arrested by the U.S. Marshall’s Service, a federal law enforcement agency, based on outstanding drug charges from Putnam County, Florida, according to the release.
ACSO deputies originally considered Jackson a person of interest in Cassels’ death, meaning they believed he had specific knowledge of her death or was nearby when the shooting happened, according to Alligator archives.
However, after ACSO was notified of Jackson’s arrest May 5, deputies flew to the Atlantic County Jail in New Jersey to interview him about Cassels’ death, said ACSO Sgt. Chris Sims. After the interview, deputies determined that Jackson was a suspect in the murder rather than a person of interest, Sims said.
On April 21 at about 11:25 p.m., after receiving reports of a person shot, deputies found Cassels dead from an apparent gunshot wound inside a garage behind her home. She died four days before her 24th birthday. It appeared that multiple rounds had been fired into the garage structure from outside.
“It’s an active and ongoing investigation,” Sims said.
Sims said he did not know whether deputies have identified any other suspects in the case aside from Jackson.
In a separate case, Jackson was arrested March 3 in Broward County, Florida, where he faces a charge of grand theft auto, according to county court records. He is set to appear at the county courthouse for an arraignment today.
As of press time, Jackson remains at the Atlantic County Jail in New Jersey and is being held without bond. He will be transported to the Putnam County Jail in Palatka, Florida, in the near future, Sims said.
Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter: @hoffdavid123.
