PBSO: November homicide was in retaliation for man's disappearance; 3 face charges
PAHOKEE — Three Glades-area men are facing charges in connection to a November 2022 fatal shooting that investigators say was in apparent retaliation for a Pahokee man's disappearance last fall.
Larry Dunnon, 26, of Belle Glade and Thomas Murvin, 19, of Pahokee each faces charges of first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and falsely reporting a crime. Drake Hamilton, 19, of Pahokee was arrested on a related charge of resisting arrest without violence and has a pending charge for first-degree murder, court records show.
A Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrest report said the men were involved in the fatal shooting of a 33-year-old man early on the morning of Nov. 19, 2022, on the 400 block of North Cocoanut Road in Pahokee.
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Fatal shooting tied to September disappearance of Johnny Worthens
Investigators say Dunnon, Hamilton and Murvin were either a friend or a relative of 24-year-old Johnny Worthens, a Pahokee resident who has been missing since September. The three men targeted the 33-year-old in response to rumors that he was complicit in Worthens' disappearance, the PBSO arrest report said.
The report did not disclose the 33-year-old man's name. Investigators say Dunnon fired shots from a .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol, killing the 33-year-old and accidentally shooting Murvin. The shooting left Murvin paralyzed from the waist down.
Worthens is still listed as missing, a PBSO spokesperson said Tuesday. His mother reported him missing Sept. 22, 2022, two days after he failed to return home. Worthens may have been with a friend near Currie Park in West Palm Beach prior to to his disappearance, PBSO said.
Men offered differing accounts of whereabouts on day of shooting
Dunnon, Hamilton and Murvin provided varying accounts of their whereabouts on the morning of the November homicide, each denying involvement, investigators said. Murvin reportedly told investigators he was standing in the area that morning when he heard gunshots and realized that he had been shot.
Less than a half hour after arriving at the shooting scene, deputies found a wet and dirty Dunnon walking along McClure Road near Rickey Jackson Boulevard. He told investigators he was in the area to buy drugs and ran to a nearby canal to hide when he heard gunfire.
Hamilton told investigators he was nowhere near Pahokee that morning and was either in Port St. Lucie or West Palm Beach at the time. However, surveillance-camera video recorded about 30 minutes before the homicide showed the men park a vehicle at an address on Cocoanut Road, with two exiting and surveilling the intended target's home before returning to the vehicle, the report said.
In addition, cellphone location data contradicted Hamilton's claim regarding his whereabouts, PBSO said. Investigators determined that he was driving the pickup at the time of the homicide and was accompanied by Dunnon and Murvin, who were armed with a handgun and a rifle, respectively.
During a court hearing Tuesday at the Palm Beach County Jail, Circuit Judge Kirk Volker ordered that Dunnon and Murvin each be held without bail on the murder charges. Both men were appointed a public defender. The Palm Beach County Public Defender's Office later filed a motion to withdraw and have the state Office of Regional Counsel represent the men, citing a conflict of interest due to the office's representation of Hamilton.
The motion's were both pending as of Tuesday afternoon. Hamilton made his first appearance at the West County Courthouse in a hearing before Circuit Judge Sara Alijewicz. The case was reset for a March 6 arraignment at the main Palm Beach County Courthouse in West Palm Beach.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Three men charged after fatal shooting kills man suspected in disappearance
