ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Nearly two years to the day after 21-year-old Cody Bennett and 22-year-old Tre’ Lyons were found shot to death in a car in West Augustine, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office announced it has arrested the man responsible.
43-year-old Derrick Walden now faces two counts of 1st-degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing Bennett and Lyons on November 27th, 2023.
The two men’s bodies were found in a car at the intersection of Pearl and North Orange Streets, where memorials now stand.
“Early on in the investigation, we obtained this video surveillance a neighboring house near the scene of the crime,” SJCSO Major Crimes Detective Cheyenne Kroul said in a video posted by the sheriff’s office announcing the arrest.
In that video, investigators detailed how they pieced together the case over the last two years, starting with the surveillance footage.
Deputies also obtained texts showing Walden had communicated with Bennett just before the murders.
A search warrant executed on Walden’s home about a month after the killings yielded a rifle, which resulted in Walden, who is a felon, being convicted for illegally possessing a firearm.
Deputies also found a photo of the suspected murder weapon on Walden’s phone and located the pistol in a nearby pond.
This video, shared by the sheriff’s office on the first anniversary of Bennett and Lyon’s murders, included testimony for the two men’s mothers asking for help from the community.
“We just need answers so we can have closures as mothers,” Alexis Bennett said.
Now, almost one year to the day of that video’s release, their calls have been answered with Walden set to be transferred from the federal prison he’s currently serving in back to Florida to face murder charges.
But the sheriff’s office indicated the investigation is ongoing, and there are still questions left unanswered.
“This arrest is just a stage in the investigation. There’s still work to be done in this case,” Sergeant Gene Tolbert said in the new video posted by SJCSO.
If you have any information related to the case, you’re asked to call the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office or call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
