BREVARD COUNTY, FL - A teen allegedly told his girlfriend, "I killed somebody and cut him up" after attacking a man in his neighborhood with a baseball bat, dismembering him, and then collecting the victim's blood to keep on microscope slides.
The alleged assailant, 19-year-old Lucas Jones, claimed in a conversation with his girlfriend that he wanted to murder 28-year-old Cole Daniel because he was a registered sex offender who was living in his neighborhood, Law & Crime reported.
Online records show that Daniel was, in fact, a sex offender convicted in 2018 of lewd or lascivious battery with a victim 12 to 15 years of age. "He wanted to kill him," the girlfriend allegedly told police. According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law & Crime, Jones "had a printed list of nearby sex offenders."
"Daniel did reside nearby and was likely on this list of registered sex offenders Jones printed," police said. Jones allegedly told his girlfriend that he murdered Daniel "with a baseball bat and cut up his body with a cleaver, a saw, and a knife." Jones then placed Daniel's remains in two separate suitcases and two large totes.
A portion of Daniel's remains was found in an area known as the "Compound" in Palm Bay, alongside Bombardier Boulevard, on March 28. Vultures were spotted swarming around an abandoned suitcase, which led to the discovery.
Daniel's parents reported him missing on March 22 and told police that he told them he was going to a house about a mile away from their home. However, he never returned after saying he would be home for dinner.
The parents said they used "Find My Phone" on Daniel's iPad, which was left at their home, to determine that his cellphone was at 420 Watson Drive — Jones' address. They went to the address on March 20.
"[Jones] confirmed that Colie Daniel was inside his home, but … he refused to come to the door," the affidavit says. "Colie Daniel's parents refused to leave without seeing their son, so Lucas Jones called law enforcement, who responded to the scene."
While the police and Daniel's parents were both on scene, Jones' girlfriend arrived at the home. They had only been dating about a month and a half, police said. "She often spends the night at Lucas Jones' house and arrived on this evening after she got off of work," the search warrant affidavit says.
Jones allegedly told his girlfriend not to say anything and to go inside. He refused to let the parents and police enter his residence to see if Daniel, who had not been reported missing yet, was there.
"No contact was ever made with Daniel that evening," the arrest affidavit says, noting how his parents and police left. "The residence at the time law enforcement and victim family members were there was an active crime scene, and Jones was in the process of cleaning up," the document alleges.
Jones' girlfriend later allegedly told police that when she walked inside the home, Jones told her "I killed somebody and cut him up" and confessed that it was Daniel, according to court documents.
"Jones had already cleaned up most of the blood inside the home, but she still saw blood in the tile grout, the carpet rugs, the baseboards, and the wall outside of his bedroom," the arrest affidavit says. "She also noticed one tile outside of his bedroom was cracked and dented in the shape of a head."
Police returned to Jones' home on the morning of March 21, the day before Daniel's parents reported him missing. Police were unable to find any sign of him after being let into the residence to look around. After they left, Jones' girlfriend said he asked her to ride with him in her car to "throw away" the suitcase and totes containing Daniel's remains.
The couple allegedly made multiple stops "removing each tote and the suitcase from the vehicle at separate locations" throughout the Compound area in Palm Bay, police said.
After Daniel's remains were found, authorities returned to Jones' home with a search warrant and allegedly found evidence of blood throughout the house. On March 30, two days after the remains were found, Jones' girlfriend came forward and confessed to police about what allegedly happened.
She told them about items Jones used to clean up the crime scene and other objects used during the commission of the murder. "These items include, but are not limited to, carpet rugs, paint used in covering up the walls and baseboards, residential trash cans, drills, plumbing pea-traps, and evidence of microscope slides containing biological-matter," the arrest affidavit says.
"A drill bit was located in a bag along with some of the remains. There was an injury observed consistently with a drill hole, similar in size to the drill bit found."
Jones was arrested without further incident and has been charged with murder, abuse of a dead body, transporting a human body in unauthorized containers, and tampering with evidence. He is being held without bond and is due back in court to be arraigned on April 21.
The alleged assailant, 19-year-old Lucas Jones, claimed in a conversation with his girlfriend that he wanted to murder 28-year-old Cole Daniel because he was a registered sex offender who was living in his neighborhood, Law & Crime reported.
Online records show that Daniel was, in fact, a sex offender convicted in 2018 of lewd or lascivious battery with a victim 12 to 15 years of age. "He wanted to kill him," the girlfriend allegedly told police. According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law & Crime, Jones "had a printed list of nearby sex offenders."
"Daniel did reside nearby and was likely on this list of registered sex offenders Jones printed," police said. Jones allegedly told his girlfriend that he murdered Daniel "with a baseball bat and cut up his body with a cleaver, a saw, and a knife." Jones then placed Daniel's remains in two separate suitcases and two large totes.
A portion of Daniel's remains was found in an area known as the "Compound" in Palm Bay, alongside Bombardier Boulevard, on March 28. Vultures were spotted swarming around an abandoned suitcase, which led to the discovery.
Daniel's parents reported him missing on March 22 and told police that he told them he was going to a house about a mile away from their home. However, he never returned after saying he would be home for dinner.
The parents said they used "Find My Phone" on Daniel's iPad, which was left at their home, to determine that his cellphone was at 420 Watson Drive — Jones' address. They went to the address on March 20.
"[Jones] confirmed that Colie Daniel was inside his home, but … he refused to come to the door," the affidavit says. "Colie Daniel's parents refused to leave without seeing their son, so Lucas Jones called law enforcement, who responded to the scene."
While the police and Daniel's parents were both on scene, Jones' girlfriend arrived at the home. They had only been dating about a month and a half, police said. "She often spends the night at Lucas Jones' house and arrived on this evening after she got off of work," the search warrant affidavit says.
Jones allegedly told his girlfriend not to say anything and to go inside. He refused to let the parents and police enter his residence to see if Daniel, who had not been reported missing yet, was there.
"No contact was ever made with Daniel that evening," the arrest affidavit says, noting how his parents and police left. "The residence at the time law enforcement and victim family members were there was an active crime scene, and Jones was in the process of cleaning up," the document alleges.
Jones' girlfriend later allegedly told police that when she walked inside the home, Jones told her "I killed somebody and cut him up" and confessed that it was Daniel, according to court documents.
"Jones had already cleaned up most of the blood inside the home, but she still saw blood in the tile grout, the carpet rugs, the baseboards, and the wall outside of his bedroom," the arrest affidavit says. "She also noticed one tile outside of his bedroom was cracked and dented in the shape of a head."
Police returned to Jones' home on the morning of March 21, the day before Daniel's parents reported him missing. Police were unable to find any sign of him after being let into the residence to look around. After they left, Jones' girlfriend said he asked her to ride with him in her car to "throw away" the suitcase and totes containing Daniel's remains.
The couple allegedly made multiple stops "removing each tote and the suitcase from the vehicle at separate locations" throughout the Compound area in Palm Bay, police said.
After Daniel's remains were found, authorities returned to Jones' home with a search warrant and allegedly found evidence of blood throughout the house. On March 30, two days after the remains were found, Jones' girlfriend came forward and confessed to police about what allegedly happened.
She told them about items Jones used to clean up the crime scene and other objects used during the commission of the murder. "These items include, but are not limited to, carpet rugs, paint used in covering up the walls and baseboards, residential trash cans, drills, plumbing pea-traps, and evidence of microscope slides containing biological-matter," the arrest affidavit says.
"A drill bit was located in a bag along with some of the remains. There was an injury observed consistently with a drill hole, similar in size to the drill bit found."
Jones was arrested without further incident and has been charged with murder, abuse of a dead body, transporting a human body in unauthorized containers, and tampering with evidence. He is being held without bond and is due back in court to be arraigned on April 21.
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