Police have linked 17-year-old Montrell Boykins with the killing of an 18-year-old man during a botched drug deal in West Grove.
Miami police have arrested a Coconut Grove youth in connection with the March shooting death of an 18-year-old man during a suspected drug deal gone wrong in West Grove.
Montrell Boykins, 17, was taken into custody on Thursday at his Percival Avenue home. He faces charges of second-degree murder and armed robbery.
Daniel Kerr, until recently the Miami Police commander overseeing Coconut Grove, says the decision to prosecute Boykins as a juvenile or adult will rest with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
According to police, Boykins arranged to meet with the victim and another man at around 4:40 p.m. on March 29 in the 3700 block of Percival Avenue to purchase a quarter pound of marijuana for $400.
Boykins, cash in hand, got into the victim’s car while another unidentified man stood outside. When the victim showed him the marijuana, Boykins allegedly grabbed it without paying. As the victim tried to take it back, Boykins pulled out a gun and shot him once, police say.
Boykins and the unidentified companion then fled the scene on foot as the car’s driver and the victim — identified by police as 18-year-old Chaz Lee Jones of West Kendall — drove a few blocks south on Douglas Road before calling Fire Rescue. Jones was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators say they linked Boykins to the victim – and the alleged drug deal — through social media messages. They also discovered an Instagram video posted three days before the shooting showing Boykins with a gun tucked into his front pocket.
Fingerprints found at Boykins’ home, obtained during a search warrant execution, matched those found on the victim’s car door the day of the shooting.
Kerr said the lengthy investigation helped ensure enough evidence was collected for the charges to stick.
“Could we have arrested the offender the day of the murder? Possibly. Would it have, you know, been a successful prosecution? Probably not,” he said.
Police said that this investigation remains ongoing, with more arrests possible.
This is Coconut Grove’s first homicide and second shooting of 2025.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with the identity of the victim.
