Suspects arrested in 2017 Hawthorne murder case

Release from Alachua County Sheriff’s Office

HAWTHORNE, Fla. – Christin Cassels was shot and killed in 2017, and a seven-year investigation began. The investigation led detectives to identify three suspects involved in Cassels’ death. Two people were arrested, and one is in federal prison awaiting extradition back to the state of Florida.

“I would like to commend our detectives for their diligence during the past seven years in pursuing justice for Christin,” said Sheriff Emery Gainey. “A special thank you to the detectives from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office for assisting us in capturing these violent individuals. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cassels family at this time.”

On July 15, 2024, Keneth Altidor was arrested with the assistance of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Fort Lauderdale. On July 16, 2024, Blake Jackson was arrested in Hallandale Beach, in Hollywood, Florida, also with the assistance of Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Both Altidor and Jackson are in the Broward County Jail awaiting extradition back to Alachua County. The third suspect charged in the murder of Cassels is Nikenson Perin, who is in federal prison in Seattle Washington. Perin is awaiting extradition back to Alachua County.

Detectives are still working additional leads with the assistance of the State Attorney’s Office. Now that the suspects have been identified, if you have any information regarding this crime and those arrested, we want your information, not your name. Please contact 352-955-1818 or remain anonymous by contacting Alachua County Crime Stoppers Inc at 352-372-STOP(7867), downloading the Crime Stoppers P3 Tips app, or visiting https://www.stopcrime.tv/ . We will share more information as it becomes available.

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