MIAMI – A man has been charged in the January murders of a homeless man and woman on the streets of Miami-Dade County, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced Thursday.
Kenneth Allen Bent, 30, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“To some people, homeless individuals appear to be easy targets for attacks or abuse,” Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. “In Miami-Dade County, this will never be tolerated. The collaborative police and prosecutor investigation which led to today’s arrest removed the accused killer’s mask of invisibility and replaced it with a criminal court case number. I applaud the hard work of the Miami-Dade Police Department, the City of Miami Police, and the members of my Gun Violence Initiative team who worked long and hard to identify this alleged killer and bring him to justice.”
According to authorities, the victims, Marie Noel, 60, and Bradley Griffith, 61, were both murdered early in the morning on Jan. 9 within blocks from each other and just minutes apart.
Noel was located lying in a grassy area suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later by City of Miami Fire Rescue personnel.
Griffith, meanwhile, was killed while sleeping under a tree near the intersection of Northwest 38th Street and 22nd Avenue.
Miami Police Chief Manuel A. Morales thanked members of the public who he said provided tips and information to detectives.
“Once again, our community has come together with law enforcement and prosecutors to send a clear message that targeted violence against the most vulnerable members of our community is not tolerated and that those who carry out such violence will be brought to justice,” he said. “I thank MDPD Director Freddy Ramirez and State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle for their steadfast partnership, without which today’s arrest would not have been possible.”
The motive for both shootings remains unclear.