Florida Man Arrested in Killing of Brothers, 12 and 14: Sheriff

Police tape is shown in a stock photo. (The Canadian Press/Graeme Roy)

A Florida sheriff confirmed that an arrest was made in the slayings of 12-year-old and 14-year-old brothers this week.

“Mark Wilson, the sick monster responsible for Tayten and Robert’s brutal murder, was arrested last night,” Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach said in a Facebook post.

Officials told news outlets that the mother of Tayten Baker, 14, and Robert Baker, 12, woke up Wednesday and found the two boys dead at their home in Melrose. Mark Wilson, 30, was identified as the suspect, DeLoach said.

“Unfortunately, Robert and Tayten were the ones who suffered whatever was going through Wilson’s twisted agenda,” he said. “As a parent, the murders of Robert and Tayten are an unimaginable loss to a family. I can’t begin to understand the anguish their parents are suffering.”

DeLoach said that Wilson has an extensive criminal history involving drugs and property crimes, adding that he has no violent crimes on his record, reported FirstCoastNews. Wilson’s motive in the slayings is not clear, Deloach said.

Mark Wilson (Putnam County Sheriff's Office)

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office told WOKV that the boys’ father is a truck driver and wasn’t home at the time.

“This case is an example of how two horrific murders can be solved in a matter of 48 hours by working together,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said.  He added: “I can tell you that the defendant, he attacked these kids without mercy.”

According to reports, the mother of the boys allowed Wilson and his girlfriend, her sister, to live on a shed on their property.

“The Baker family did a lot to help Wilson. Unfortunately, it resulted in the death of Rober and Tayten,” DeLoach said, reported Fox news. “We’re grieving, along with the family.

Authorities said Wilson used a knife and hammer in the slayings.