GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A jury has convicted Keneth Altidor, 45, Blake Carrington Jackson, 30, and Nikenson Perin, 38, in connection with the 2017 killing of 23-year-old Hawthorne resident Christin Cassels.
Perin was convicted of first-degree murder and trespass and sentenced to life in prison. Altidor and Jackson were each found guilty of second-degree murder. Their sentencing will take place at a later date.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office responded on April 21, 2017, to a reported shooting near 78150 SE U.S. Highway 301 in Hawthorne. Deputies found Cassels suffering from a gunshot wound, and medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene.
Investigators spent years examining forensic evidence from cellular devices and Google data before identifying the three men as suspects in the homicide.
The investigation resulted in the arrests of Jackson and Altidor in July 2024, with assistance from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Altidor was taken into custody July 15, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, while Jackson was arrested the following day in Hallandale Beach. Both men were held in Broward County before being extradited to Alachua County.
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At the time he was charged in Cassels’ death, Perin was serving a federal prison sentence in Seattle, Washington. He was later extradited to Alachua County to stand trial.
In a Facebook post, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said Cassels’ family, friends and investigators were present in court when guilty verdicts were delivered against all three defendants after “nine long and agonizing years” of pursuing justice for her murder.
Alachua County Sheriff Chad Scott said no parent should have to endure the pain of burying a child. He said Brenda and her family faced that reality after Christin was killed in what he called a “senseless act of pure evil” in 2017. Scott credited the work of the sheriff’s detectives, particularly Detectives Jeremy York and Chris Weitzel, with helping bring the case to a conclusion. He said the verdict may provide the Cassels family with some peace and added that his office would continue working to secure answers and justice for other families awaiting resolution.