News and Investigations

Polk County Sheriff's Office Homicide detectives arrested 16-year-old Dillen Murray of Lake Wales and charged him with 1 count first degree murder (Capital  Felony), 1 count possession of marijuana (M-1), and 1 count possession  of paraphernalia (M-1), in the homicide of 15-year-old Giovanni "Gio" Diaz of Lake Caloosa Circle North in Lake Wales, who was an 8th grader at  Frostproof Middle-High.

According to the affidavit and investigation, after school that day, Dillen asked Giovanni to go into the woods with him to play. Once in the woods, Dillen severely beat Giovanni with a baseball bat. A witness who was in the area saw Dillen walking out of the woods, and Dillen told the witness that he just hit his friend with a baseball bat. The witness ran into the woods, and found Giovanni.

"This child was brutally murdered by a 16-year-old with a baseball bat. There is no reasonable excuse for this. Zero. None. It should never have happened." - Grady Judd, Sheriff

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXCERPT FROM THE AFFIDAVIT, AND IS SELF-EXPLANATORY:

On Monday, March 19, 2018, at approximately 1451 hours, the defendant,  Dillen Alex Murray, called 911 and advised he beat his friend with a baseball  bat; his friend was bleeding and lying in the woods. Deputies responded  to the wooded area to the east of Caloosa Blvd. and Lake Blvd. in Lake  Wales, FL, where they found the victim, Giovanni Diaz, unresponsive with  severe facial trauma. The victim was declared deceased on March 19, 2018  at 1507 hours by Polk County Fire Rescue personnel. An aluminum Tee ball  bat, which was dented and covered in blood, was found on the ground next  to the victim's body.

Contact was made with the defendant and his father, Paul Murray, outside the defendant's residence. When the defendant  was detained by deputies, he was found to have a clear plastic baggie containing  a green leafy substance, in his pants pocket. The green leafy substance  emitted the odor of unburnt cannabis. The defendant and his father both  consented to the defendant being transported to the Polk County Sheriff's  Office Southeast Substation, to be interviewed.

Polk County Sheriff's Office Homicide detectives responded to the aforementioned wooded  area, and observed the victim deceased in the woods. The victim was observed  to have extensive blunt force trauma to the head, face, chest, and arms,  consistent with being struck multiple times with a baseball bat.

During a post-Miranda interview, the defendant stated the victim approached  him on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, and requested they meet up on Monday,  March 19, 2018, to smoke cannabis in the woods. The defendant then stated  when they approached the wooded area described above, the victim asked  the defendant if he wanted to play baseball after they smoked cannabis.

The defendant further stated he told the victim he had a baseball bat at  home, at which time he went to retrieve the baseball bat. The defendant  described the baseball bat as being a metal bat, silver in color, with  "Tee ball" written on it. The bat was also described as being older with  scratches, but no dents. Upon returning to the aforementioned wooded area,  the defendant and the victim entered the woods. The defendant advised he  sat on the ground and began to "roll a blunt" while the victim stated he  needed to "pee", and told the defendant not to turn around. The defendant  then advised while he was "rolling the blunt", the victim shouted that  an ant bit him on his penis, and again told the defendant not to turn around.

 At that time, the defendant advised he heard the victim step right behind  him and heard the bat being picked up from the ground. As the defendant  turned around, he advised he observed the victim holding the bat with both  hands, above his head, and was preparing to hit him (the defendant) on  the head with the bat.

The defendant stated he raised his left arm to block the attack, resulting in the victim striking him on his left  forearm. The defendant then stated he stood up and grabbed the bat, at  which time the victim punched him in the right side of his face with a  closed fist, while releasing his hold of the bat. The defendant further  stated once he took the bat from the victim, the victim backed up and removed  a pair of light blue gloves he was wearing, throwing the gloves on the  ground. The defendant also stated the victim began to charge him as if  he was going to punch him. The defendant advised he swung the bat at the  victim, striking the victim in the left side of his face, causing the victim  to stagger backward. The defendant then advised his "blood began to boil" and he "wanted to kill him", at which time he struck the victim six times  in the victim's head and face. The victim then fell to the ground, and  the defendant struck the victim three additional times; once in the "windpipe",  once in the nose, and once on top of the head. The defendant further advised  he realized what he had done, threw down the bat, grabbed the gloves the  victim had been wearing, and ran out of the woods to get help.

When asked why the victim would want to attack him, the defendant stated approximately  two weeks prior, the victim tried to show him a Rubik's Cube, but he (the defendant) told him it was "lame". The defendant then stated approximately  two years prior, the victim "f*****d" a girl he (the defendant) liked, but  he was unable to advise why that would cause the victim to want to attack  him.

During this investigation, Det. Fulcher conducted interviews  with several known acquaintances of the defendant and the victim. Det. Fulcher learned the defendant had recently found out, within the last several  days, the victim had sexual intercourse with a girl the defendant had feelings  for and had dated in the past.

Det. Fulcher also conducted sworn audio-recorded interview with a known acquaintance of the defendant,  who stated on Sunday, March 18, 2018, the defendant told them he wanted  to know what it was like to kill somebody.

When confronted with this information, the defendant stated approximately one week prior  to March 19, 2018, the victim and the defendant were smoking cannabis in  the woods, when the victim told him he "f****d" the girl he was "in love with". The defendant then stated this angered him. On March 19, 2018, the  defendant stated he and the victim went to the woods to "talk". The defendant  then stated the victim was talking about how he "f****d" the girl the defendant  was in love with. The defendant advised he pointed the bat at the victim  and told him to stop talking about the girl he loved, and the victim called  him a "p***y" and told him he was not scared. The defendant then advised  he struck the victim in the head with the bat, and then continued to strike  the victim in the head until the victim fell to the ground. While the victim  was lying on the ground, the defendant continued to strike the victim in  the face and head. The defendant advised he wanted to make sure the victim  was not going to talk bad about the girl he loves anymore, which is why  he struck the victim in the face while the victim was lying on the ground.

During the interview with the defendant, it was noted he did  not have any injuries consistent with being punched in the face or being  struck with a bat in the forearm.

During a search of the victim's cellphone, multiple messages were observed sent to the victim from the  defendant. On March 19, 2017 at approximately 1027 hours, the defendant  sent the victim a text message stating, "Yo...Meet me at rocks after school  so we can chill", to which the victim responds with "Ight". On March 19, 2017 at approximately 1412 hours, the defendant sent the victim thirteen  text messages, asking the victim where he was and if he was close to "the  rocks". The victim did not send any text message response to the defendant  during that time.

Based on my interviews and investigation, I determined the defendant committed the criminal offense of 1st degree  murder, when the defendant intentionally and with a premeditated design  to kill, struck the victim multiple times with a metal bat, which resulted  in the death of the victim. The defendant then committed the criminal offense  of possession of cannabis less than 20 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia,  when the defendant possessed the cannabis in a clear plastic baggie in  his pants pocket.