JACKSONVILLE, Fla. _ The Putnam County Sheriff's Office arrested a 30-year-old man late Thursday in the deaths of young brothers beaten with a hammer and stabbed the day before in their Shiloh Road home in Melrose.
Mark Howard Wilson Jr., 30, was charged with the first-degree murder of Robert and Tayten Baker, 12 and 14 years old respectively. The Sheriff's Office said the Baker family had recently moved there and allowed Wilson and his girlfriend, who was apparently a relative, to live in a shed on the property.
Wednesday morning the boys' mother awoke to find them with traumatic injuries, the Sheriff's Office said. She and a younger child were uninjured. The boys' father is a long-distance truck driver and was not home at the time.
Putnam Sheriff Gator DeLoach said a hammer and knife were used but did not offer a possible motive. He said the Bakers arrived two weeks ago from Polk County to be close to family.
Seventh Circuit State Attorney R.J. Larizza credited law enforcement with making an arrest so quickly.
"I can tell you what justice is in this case. Justice is holding the defendant and anyone who may have aided or assisted responsible for what they may have done," Larizza said.
Larizza said while he believes the killings warrant the death penalty, he needs to review the case and speak with the family of the two boys before making a decision to pursue that course.
On his Facebook page, DeLoach called Wilson a "sick monster." He added, "My sincere hope is that the death penalty is pursued in these senseless murders."
DeLoach said that even though an arrest has been made, it's still early in the investigation. "There's still a significant amount of work to do in this case."
DeLoach wouldn't say what relationship Wilson had with the children's family. He said Wilson has a criminal history but not violent.
The state Department of Corrections shows that Wilson served a five-year prison sentence for drug trafficking, grand theft and trafficking in stolen property.
A GoFundMe account has been set up at gofundme.com/f/funeral-for-kolton-and-kolbys-brothers to help the family. "They loved playing video games, swimming and hanging out with their family," the social media post said. "They had dreams and goals for their life that they will never be able to fulfill."
