JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A grand jury has returned first-degree murder charges in three high-profile Jacksonville cases, including two suspects charged in a 2019 murder-for-hire killing.
Jerry Burns and Stephen Hand are accused in the murder-for-hire killing of Burns’ wife, Velvet. Amanda Love was also arrested.
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The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Burns was having an affair with Love and paid her $5,000 to arrange for others to kill his wife and make it look like a burglary. According to Love’s police arrest report, she hired two men who were told they’d get more money when Burns collected on his wife’s life insurance.
The State Attorney’s Office said Burns is also charged with criminal conspiracy to commit a capital felony crime and criminal solicitation to commit a capital felony crime. It said Hand is also charged with armed burglary, burglary with assault or batter and criminal conspiracy to commit a capital felony crime.
Deadly shooting at Jacksonville Amazon center
Daisean Biffle is charged with first-degree murder in a deadly shooting at the Jacksonville Amazon fulfillment center on Pecan Park Road in Sept. 2020.
The victim, Ebony Nichols, worked at the center with her boyfriend, Biffle.
Investigators determined Biffle shot Nicholas, then shot himself and survived.
Triple murder at Calloway Cove apartments
Owen Laureano-Cosme, 17, is charged in the robbery and shooting deaths of Sara Cancel Urriola, Randy Garcia and Angel Rivera Nater at the Calloway Cove Apartments in February.
Urriola was a 30-year-old mother.
Laureano-Cosme is one of five teenagers charged in the case. He’s also been charged with armed burglary and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.