Marion County homicide suspect found, airlifted after Grassy Key fire

A 30-year-old man wanted for murder in Marion County was found in the Florida Keys Wednesday morning and airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center in Miami with burns to his arms in a bizarre series of events that began with a burglary call.

Middle Keys Detective Mario Benedetti joined suspect Deangelo Leandrew Shelton Clark in the Trauma Star flight to Miami and will be serving him with a the warrant for the murder of 20-year-old Kiara Alleyne who was found dead in her Ocala home earlier Wednesday morning by Marion County Sheriff’s Office Deputies.

“I want to thank our Deputies and our 911 operators who all did an outstanding job putting the facts together of what was transpiring very quickly,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “We wouldn’t have been able to put the pieces together nearly as fast regarding who we were dealing with had our 911 staff done an exemplarily job behind the scenes. They have one of the most important jobs when it comes to keeping the public and emergency responders safe, though they rarely receive public accolades. Thank you to all.”  

Clark’s capture in Monroe County Wednesday morning began thusly:

• Monroe County Sheriff’s Office 911 Communications Specialists received a 10 a.m. home burglary call at 69401 Overseas Highway on Long Key just north of the town of Layton. Responding Deputies received high quality video of the suspect and car. The suspect left the home with some unknown items. Deputies did not know they were looking for Clark at that time.

• Shortly after a be-on-the-lookout was issued, another 911 call came in from Edgewater Road at Mile Marker 57.3 on Grassy Key. The reporting person stated a man was screaming that his car blew up and that he was burnt.

• Only moments thereafter, a third 911 call came in of a fire at an adjacent property at 57336 Overseas Highway very near the Edgewater Road property. A car was engulfed and caught the stilted 57336 home on fire as well. The car was a Mazda CX7 sport utility vehicle, the same car Marion County officials reported was being driven by Clark.

• Deputies quickly identified the man as both the burglary suspect and Clark, given he was wanted out of Marion County.

• Clark’s burns were deemed serious and Marathon Fire Rescue paramedics took him to the Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit hangar at the Florida Keys Marathon International Airport where he was airlifted to Miami.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has no information to suggest that Clark was targeting any specific homes in the Keys for any specific reason in terms of the burglary and subsequent fire.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the fire.

As it stands now, Detective Benedetti will serve Clark with the warrant out of Marion County and will charge him with the Long Key burglary.

Clark could face more charges out of Monroe County pending the Fire Marshal’s investigation.