JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced two arrests in connection to the murder of a local 27-year-old last summer.
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Keenan Sparks was found shot to death on Sydney street near Willowbranch park. Police arrested Dana Smith and Elizabeth Bell in connection to his death. Smith is charged with murder and Bell was charged with accessory after the fact in the murder.
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A close family friend told Action News Jax that Sparks had just moved to Jacksonville three months before his murder.
“We are overjoyed,” a close family friend said about hearing the arrests. “We didn’t think it was ever going to happen.”
They were worried the case was going cold but had hoped this day would come.
“Hopefully the justice system does its job,” she said.
The family friend wanted to remain anonymous, she said her son was best friends with Sparks since he was 10 years old.
“He was a goofy kid. Keenan was always laughing, always full of smiles, he was the clown of the friend group,” she said. “He was just so much fun to be around.”
Police said the suspects were already in jail on unrelated charges when they issued warrants for their arrests. Action News Jax found arrest reports affiliated with the murder case that said there was also evidence of a robbery.
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The report says the car Sparks used for work was stolen and was still being used nearly 24 hours after his murder. Another report related to the case says officers eventually found the car the next day with three people, including Smith and Bell. A search warrant for the car later revealed there was crystal meth in a lunch box near where Smith was sitting, based on the positioning of witnesses.
The close family friend we spoke to said they were devastated when they found out Sparks was killed.
“He would break any kind of situation with humor, Keenan didn’t have a mean bone in his body,” she said.
She said it’s scary knowing this happened.
“If it can happen to Keenan, it could happen to anyone and that’s just a scary thought,” she said.
The close friend is hoping that Sparks’ family finds some sort of peace knowing this is the start to justice for Keenan.
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Smith’s next court date is on April 26, Bell’s is May 5.
