JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s been six years since a young couple and their 10-month-old baby were killed in Arlington.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigators called attention to the triple murder with the release of new details in the case in hopes of bringing a grieving family justice.
On Dec. 12, 2017, 20-year-old Quasean Trotter, his fiancée, 19-year-old Ariyan Johnson, and their 10-month-old daughter, Arielle, were found by police in a burned-down home in Arlington.
Trotter and Johnson had been shot to death.
Arielle was left to suffer and die of smoke inhalation after the house on India Avenue was set on fire.
Andrew Trotter, Quasean’s father, has thought about what happened to his son’s family every day since they were killed in 2017. He’s constantly pushed for someone to come forward and hopes the recent developments will encourage just that so the case can be solved.
“I will not stop until we get the people that are responsible for this off the streets. They don’t just think about it. They’re running loose right now. And we don’t know who they are, what they’re doing. And they could be taking more lives,” Trotter said.
For Trotter, it’s unfathomable that the killers would shoot and kill Arielle’s parents and then set the house on fire with her still inside.
“Those killers that went into that house didn’t have a bit of heart because for you to hurt a 10-month-old baby that’s just wrong,” Trotter said. “We don’t want those types of people walking around in our society today.”
JSO said there were no signs of forced entry into the home. Tom Hackney, retired director for JSO, said that circumstance could mean the suspect was familiar with the victims.
“It certainly leads you down that road to believe that this is probably somebody that they were an acquaintance with,” Hackney said. “So that is good, too, in the fact that somebody knows something that’s in and around that family, and associated with these folks. Maybe they’re a little more ready to talk.”
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Hackney said sometimes the smallest bit of information can get an investigation going again.
“We’ve solved cases that we’re decades old, and it still works,” Hackney said “A homicide is considered a cold case. But it’s always there to be active. It takes one little bit to turn it from cold to hot.”
By bringing attention to this case again, Trotter hopes someone who knows what happened to his family will share information with investigators.
“I would ask the people to have a heart come forward. If you know anything about this case, everything counts,” Trotter said.
If you have information on this case, call 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.