After a car chase, a Florida man returned to the crash site and killed the officer. Now, he will never walk free again.
A Hendry County judge sentenced Eliceo Hernandez, 23, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting death of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Officer Julian Keen. After a three-day trial, Hernandez was found guilty and convicted by a jury of second-degree murder with a firearm and attempted second-degree murder with a firearm.
“No matter what I do or say, I can’t undo what happened on June 14. Mr. Hernandez, you deprived the community of an example, a rising star,” said the judge, according to NBC-2.
On June 14, 2020, Keen, who was off-duty with a friend, heard a crash outside his home and witnessed a Black truck leaving the scene of an accident. Soon, both men jumped in their vehicles, and a car chase soon ensued. The chase continued on Country Road 78 until the defendant turned onto Nobles Road, where the victim’s friend hit Hernndez’s truck twice. As a result, the defendant’s vehicle crashed into a ditch before he fled the scene in a get-away car driven by his girlfriend waiting nearby.
At the same time, Keen had parked his vehicle at the parking lot of a nearby convenience store before running to the crash site. Unbeknown to the victim, Hernandez and his girlfriend had gone around the block and returned to the scene. Then, the defendant got out of the car and shot both men, fatally striking Keen before returning to his girlfriend’s car and fleeing the scene the second time.
The victim’s family described Keen as a loving, caring individual who puts the needs of others ahead of his.
“Even while at home, he could not turn away when he saw a crime happen. This murder was a heinous and cowardly act by the defendant. I hope the sentence of life in prison brings some sense of closure to the family, friends, and fellow law enforcement family of Officer Keen," stated State Attorney Amira Fox, reported Naples Daily News.
Leave a Reply