A West Palm Beach man accused of first-degree murder told police that his accomplice "went crazy" and shot a 20-year-old man Nov. 19 at a Boynton Beach park during a botched drug deal, according to an arrest report.
Sinceer Giovanni Priest, 18, is being held without bond at the Palm Beach County Jail. Priest was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on Wednesday at the security checkpoint at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Ohio, Boynton Beach police said.
Stephen Carson Thal, 17, of Riviera Beach, was arrested Nov. 20 for allegedly shooting Desean Zachary Menelas, 20, of Boynton Beach in the back at the basketball courts in Caloosa Park, just west of Interstate 95. Thal also is facing a first-degree murder charge and is in custody at the Palm Beach County Jail.
Menelas had arranged to sell marijuana to Thal and Priest, police said.
When police went to Priest’s home, a person at the residence said that Priest had admitted being with Thal at the time of the murder, the report said.
The witness said Priest stated that Thal “went crazy and just started chasing the victim and shooting at him.”
Nine shell casings were found on the basketball court. The arrest report does not say how many times Menelas was struck.
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