6 face charges in Secret Cove double murder in Lakeland
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said six people face charges in a double murder that happened in Secret Cove on Monday.
2025-05-14 20:37:08 - VI News Staff
The incident happened when a car crashed into a home in what authorities said started as a drug transaction.
Four of the suspects were each charged with two counts of felony murder and other crimes. The other two suspects were charged with various crimes involved with the case, the sheriff’s office said.
According to a news release, 19-year-old Davin Boutwell drove a white Mercedes to the Secret Cove neighborhood to conduct a drug transaction there. A 17-year-old met Boutwell at his car. Anthony Scott Roush, 18, and a 15-year-old stood by, and Kristian Xavier Guzman, 23, was in a getaway car.
“During the brief meeting, Boutwell was shot through the chest (from back to front),” the release stated. “The Mercedes sped away down the road and fatally struck 38-year old Nathaniel Jones, Jr. on his electric bike, and then crashed into a residence on Pirates Way. Boutwell and Jones were deceased when first responders arrived.”