DAVENPORT, Florida—A man with ties to Eustis was arrested for the murder of a man In Polk County, Sheriff Grady Judd said in a press conference Monday.
Justin Otrell “Zae” Jenkins, 29, is accused of killing Xavier Antonio Johnson, of St. Petersburg in an Airbnb he began renting April 8 on Acorn Drive in Davenport to sell trafficking amounts of marijuana, Judd said.
“There were people coming and going from this Airbnb and buying marijuana,” Judd said
Johnson was fatally shot around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday after two suspects were seen entering the rental home, including Jenkins. “He was brutally murdered,” Judd said.
The case has received a lot of publicity from the news media and on social media because three men were captured on a home security system carrying Johnson’s body from the rented home following the shooting. Polk County Sheriff’s office released that video over the weekend in an attempt to identify the men. Those men, who have now been positively identified, took Johnson to Heart of Florida Haines City Hospital in Davenport, where he died from his injuries.
When PCSO began investigating the case, they did not have the location of the crime scene, Judd said, until the owner of the Airbnb contacted PCSO after she saw several suspicious videos.
A second video, released Monday, shows Jenkins and a masked man flee the home after the shooting. PCSO is working to identify the masked man.
“We want Justin to have company in the county jail. Kind of like Easter eggs in the basket; we’ve got one egg in the basket. We need more eggs in the basket. There’s lots more work to do,” Judd said. “Justin Jenkins is a bad man. He’s a murderer, but he’s not alone.”
Jenkins grew up in Eustis and Judd said his detectives called Eustis Police Department over the weekend and spoke with an EPD corporal and he said, “We all know the Jenkins. We all know him real well; he’s a bad man.”
Jenkins has a lengthy criminal history, including 35 felonies and 20 misdemeanors and has been to state prison at least three times. He now lives in South Daytona and was booked into the Volusia County Jail on first degree murder and is being held on no bond.
If you have information on the identity of the second man, call Heartland Crimestoppers at 1-800-226-8477. Tipsters may be eligible for a reward.
