Teen charged with Alex Cherp’s murder being held in juvenile detention center

The Bradenton teenager charged with murder and armed robbery in the slaying of Alexander Cherp during a drug deal gone bad is being held at a juvenile detention center until prosecutors decide if he will be charged as an adult, authorities said Saturday.

Alan Baily, 17, was arrested Friday following a weeklong manhunt. The teen is the second suspect charged with murder and armed robbery in the death of Cherp.

Cherp, 23, was found by an on-duty security guard just before midnight Feb. 4 outside of his silver Mercedes in Lakewood Ranch’s Greenbrook Park — less than a half mile from the home of Baily’s parents. Cherp was suffering from gunshot wounds and was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he died a few hours later.

On Friday night, Baily was arrested in the parking lot of the Home Depot store in the 2300 block of Cortez Road, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. He was bitten by a sheriff’s office K-9, however, when he resisted arrest.

Baily is now being held on a standard 21-day juvenile custody hold at the Manatee Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Bradenton. If the State Attorney’s Office decides to formally charge him as an adult, then Baily would be transferred to the juvenile unit at the Manatee County jail.

The other suspect in Cherp’s death, Jose Hernandez, was arrested Feb. 18 and faces identical charges. Hernandez, 19, of Bradenton, is being held on bonds totaling $850,500 at the Manatee County jail including his new bond on a pending lewd and lascivious molestation charge.

Detectives had learned that Cherp would buy marijuana from someone named “Alan,” according to the victim’s girlfriend. A cell phone number that Cherp had been in contact with six times the night he was shot was traced to Baily’s mother.

When Baily was initially interviewed by detectives with the Manatee Homicide Investigative Unit in his father’s presence on Feb. 5, the teen denied having seen Cherp for a couple days leading up to his death, according to a warrant affidavit.

Baily — who was shaking and avoiding eye-contact with lead detective Jeffrey Bliss — later admitted that he had attempted to call Cherp, but the interview ended shortly after when he invoked his right to remain silent, the affidavit said.

During a later search of the victim’s car, Baily’s palm print was found on the interior front passenger door panel, the affidavit states.

A witness later told detectives that Hernandez has admitted to planning to rob Cherp, shooting Cherp and then telling Baily to “finish him off.”

Baily was arrested in December by the sheriff’s office and charged with robbery in another drug-related robbery.

This story was originally published February 25, 2017 at 7:12 PM with the headline "Teen charged with Alex Cherp’s murder being held in juvenile detention center."