PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — The “sick monster” responsible for killing a teenage boy and his younger brother has been arrested, a Florida sheriff said Friday.
The mother of Tayten Baker, 14, and Robert Baker, 12, woke up Wednesday and found their bodies in their home in Melrose, WJXT-TV reported. They had just moved in 16 days ago,
“Mark Wilson, the sick monster responsible for Tayten and Robert’s brutal murder, was arrested last night,” Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach said on Facebook.
The sheriff said the 30-year-old Wilson killed the boys with a hammer and a knife, which had been recovered as evidence.
“Unfortunately, Robert and Tayten were the ones who suffered whatever was going through Wilson’s twisted agenda,” he said. “As a parent, the murders of Robert and Tayten are an unimaginable loss to a family. I can’t begin to understand the anguish their parents are suffering.”
Wilson was charged with first-degree murder and could face the death penalty, Putnam County prosecutor R.J. Larizza said Friday at a news conference he held with DeLoach, FOX reported.
“These are some of the most brutal murders that I’ve ever heard about,” Larizza said. “I can tell you that the defendant, he attacked these kids without mercy.”
The mother of the boys allowed Wilson and his girlfriend to live in a shed on their property. The mom and the girlfriend are sisters, according to authorities.
“The Baker family did a lot to help Wilson. Unfortunately, it resulted in the death of Robert and Tayten,” DeLoach said at the news conference. “We’re grieving, along with the family.”
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Photos of Robert and Tayten Baker from GoFundMe page set up to raise money for their funerals. (Kim Rigney/GoFundMe)
Wilson is being held without bond and is scheduled to go before a judge Saturday on the murder charges.
On the Putnam County jail website, Wilson’s last address is listed as Newberry, Florida. DeLoach said the Bakers had moved from Polk County to Interlachen just over two weeks ago to be closer to family.
WJXT-TV reported that Wilson has been in prison twice, facing charges of burglary, car theft and dealing in stolen property — all from Alachua County.
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