JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is spotlighting a double murder cold case from June 2011 in the Ortega neighborhood to bring closure to those impacted by the crime.
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On June 29, 2011, JSO officers responded to a call from an Ortega home on the Westside. Officers found John Ragin, 33, and Eric Stubbs, 36, lying on the floor with gunshot wounds.
Officials said Ragin lived in the residence with another roommate who was out of town when the incident occurred. Stubbs was visiting his half-brother, Ragin. Stubbs was also active in the United States Reserve and worked at the local post office.
Ragin was from South Carolina, but he moved to Jacksonville and he would frequent between both cities. The roommate told JSO that there was a mutual friend from South Carolina of him and Ragin that was in the residence around 10:00 p.m. the night before the shooting.
Investigators said that was the last time that the roommate spoke to Ragin, and he tried to call him back at around midnight but he couldn’t get an answer. He then called Ragin’s nephew, who went to the residence and found Ragin and Stubbs dead.
JSO said it believes that Ragin was the intended target of the shooting. JSO also said that there was no forced entry into the residence, meaning that the victim knew the person to let them in the house. Detectives said there were shell casings from multiple-caliber handguns, which indicates that there was a shootout in the residence or multiple shooters involved.
Officials said that Ragin’s bedroom was ransacked. JSO said it believes that the suspect(s) would be in their thirties or mid-thirties, around the same age as the victims.
Officials said they collected and examined all available evidence and followed leads for over a decade. The leads have stopped and without further information, the case went cold.
JSO is asking anyone with information related to the double murder of Ragin and Stubbs to call 904-630-0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward, call First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS or dial **TIPS (8477).
For more information about the case, you can visit JSO’s YouTube channel.