Authorities have made an arrest in connection with the murders of two homeless people earlier this year in Miami-Dade County.
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced Thursday that 30-year-old Kenneth Allen Bent is suspected of killing 60-year-old Marie Noel and 61-year-old Bradley Griffith.
“This year, a terrible act of violence was committed against our vulnerable community, or homeless community,” said Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez.
Fernandez Rundle said ShotSpotter helped investigators crack the case.
“And so what we see is that the defendant, who is now been arrested — he’s in custody as we speak — was actually placed, and you can see him going to and leaving each scene where the murder victims were found,” she said.
Bent is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Records revealed Bent was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2012 for robbery and aggravated battery and was released June 3, 2022.
“Their lives are just as important,” Miami Assistant Police Chief Cherise Gause said of the victims. “And we want to make sure that although they are in a vulnerable population, we are still giving them the same attention and detail to their incident as we would anybody else.”
RAW: Police are hoping new surveillance video will help them find a suspect sought in connection with the killings of two homeless people in Miami-Dade earlier this year.
In early January, Noel — who was very well known in the community — was found shot to death in the middle of the night near NW 17th Avenue and 28th Street in Allapattah.
The next day, Miami-Dade Police said Griffith was shot and killed blocks away from the first tragedy.
“I’m not big on coincidences, I don’t believe in pixie dust, so it is hard for me to believe at least initially that they are not related,” Homeless Trust Chairman Ron Book said at the time of the murders.
Bent’s arrest marks the end of a joint investigation into the tragic deaths of Noel and Griffith.
“This is your law enforcement community right here working together, regardless of the color of our uniforms,” Ramirez said. “We’re a family. We’re here to protect our community. No matter what part of the community you live, no matter what your financial status is.”
The motive behind the crimes is still being pieced together.
“Obviously the intent was not good, especially when you take the lives of two vulnerable people,” Ramirez said.