A suspect in the Jan. 11 murder of 30-year-old Kissimmee man is now in custody.
Jaquari Letray Walker, 22, has been charged with murder along with other weapons charges after admitting involvement in the shooting death of Eric Pinellas, Jr.
He is the son of Osceola High School varsity football coach Eric Pinellas, was an athlete at OHS, and left behind a son and daughter. His father gave a brief statement during a press conference Tuesday.
"On behalf of the entire family, I'd like to thank the Kissimmee Police Department, especially Detectives Pinnell and Morris for their tireless efforts in bringing the person responsible for the death of our son to justice," Pinellas said. "We want to thank everyone for their continued prayers. Eric was an amazing young man with a bring future and was loved by many. To lose him in such senseless violence is incomprehensible. To know him was to love him."
On March 8, Walker was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on a Kissimmee Police Department warrant for armed robbery. Days before the shooting, arrest reports show that Walker stole a gun from a woman, to whom he brought drugs, at the Apollo Inn on East Vine Street. An arrest warrant for armed robbery was filed against Walker following that incident. KPD Deputy Chief Betty Holland confirmed that the stolen gun matched the caliber of the shell casings found at the shooting site.
While in the Orange County Jail, KPD detectives interviewed Walker, and he admitted to his involvement in the murder of Pinellas, who was found near the intersection of Cypress and Bay Streets in Kissimmee with gunshot wounds. Pinellas was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries during emergency surgery.
In the jail interview, Walker clearly described specific details that would only be known to the suspect, according to KPD. He is now facing charges for murder without premeditation, use of a weapon during a felony and possession of a firearm by a person delinquent of a felony, and is being held on bond.
According to an arrest report for a drug charge a week prior to the shooting obtained by the News-Gazette, when Pinellas was found by police after being shot, the only information he could provide about the suspect was, "a black hoodie." During the investigation, detectives determined the victim "had issues" with Walker in relation to the drug arrest.
According to police, Walker gave Pinellas, who was with him during the arrest, money to bail him out and a bicycle on Jan. 5. The victim reportedly left town with the money and did not bail Walker out, based on a review of Walker's jail calls, in which "Walker seemed more agitated as the calls progressed," as he asked people to locate the victim to return the money.
Walker was released following his first appearance with a judge Jan. 6.
"We tried to put together the best possible case so they can be held accountable in the judicial system," Holland said.
