Bradenton police hunt for third suspect in double homicide

BRADENTON -- Two 18-year-old double homicide suspects are being held in the Manatee County jail without bond, while law enforcement looks for a 33-year-old suspect who is still at large and considered armed and dangerous.

Trey Nonnombre, 18, and Jimmie Lee Mcnear, 18, were taken into custody early Monday. Police are still searching for Terez Jones, 33.

"I'm glad we got these two off the streets, and hopefully it will give the family some relief," said Lt. James Racky, spokesman for the Bradenton Police Department. "We're not going to stop until we get Jones, too."

At 3:51 a.m. Thursday, police responded to the 3900 block of Southern Parkway West when a break-in triggered the home security alarm system. Police found Esther Deneus and her boyfriend, Kantral Markeith Brooks, both 29, shot to death in their home. Police said five children between the ages of 1 and 11 were in the living room when law enforcement arrived, not far from their mother's body.

Two witnesses came forward after the shootings and identified the three suspects, according to arrest warrants for both Mcnear and Nonnombre. Both witnesses are remaining anonymous due to safety concerns with one suspect still at large, according to Art Brown, assistant

state attorney.

Judge John F. Lakin ordered Mcnear and Nonnombre held without bond on grounds that they are a potential threat to the community.

Witness 1 said he or she was present when the three suspects were planning a "lick" on Brooks' home, which law enforcement identifies as slang for robbery. The witness said he or she was in a residence in the 2000 block of Seventh Avenue Drive East when the three left to commit the robbery and later when they returned. Witness 1 said the three said, "The dude 'bucked, and they did what they had to do." Bucked is slang for not following commands, according to law enforcement.

Witness 2 told law enforcement that he was asked to assist in the robbery of Brooks. He said he drove the three suspects and another person to observe Brooks' home and prepare for the robbery on July 7. He told deputies that they discussed the robbery, that there were surveillance cameras and whether the door could be kicked in.

Witness 2 said on the date of the killings he saw the three suspects put T-shirts over their heads and started to follow them to the scene of the robbery in a separate vehicle; he was supposed to park down the street and look out for law enforcement. Witness 2 said he decided to stop following the vehicle and turned back to his grandmother's. He identified the three suspects in surveillance video of the incident.

Racky said they believe Brooks was targeted and Deneus was in the wrong place at the wrong time, according to the reports. Police are not yet sure of a motive, but said about 14 ounces of marijuana or cocaine, and "a couple of bags" of rock cocaine were found in the home where the shootings occurred.

Deneus' sister, Yolanda Deneus Robinson, heard about the arrests.

"I'm happy, but I'll be even more happier once they put this case to rest," she said Monday afternoon. "But at the end of the day, it's not going to bring my sister back."

Jones had been released from the Manatee County jail three days before the homicide occurred on $18,000 bond on charges of possession with intent to sell heroin and cocaine, tampering with evidence and attempted escape, according to jail records. When he was arrested July 3, police said he was hiding cocaine and heroin in his mouth.

"It's very frustrating. We put the folks in -- and I understand the justice system has to go its proper route ... but we put them in, they bond out, they do something again. And that's going to be a big topic," Racky said. "Should this guy have been in jail still? Yeah, he should still be in jail. Then he gets out and he's able to commit a murder. It's ridiculous."

Jones also served a 15-year prison sentence for sexual battery on a victim under 16 years old and was released in February 2015. At the time, the Florida Department of Corrections listed his height as 5 feet, 10 inches, and his weight at 175 pounds. He has "Terez," a picture of the Statue of Liberty, and "not" tattooed on his right arm, and "guilty" and "Tezereah" on his left arm.

Racky said police are not pursuing any other suspects in this case.

Both Nonnombre and Mcnear were found at 2 a.m. Monday in a residence in the 900 block of 27th Street Court East, according to Racky. SWAT teams executed search warrants at that location and three others at the same time.

Nonnombre tried to run away from law enforcement but was apprehended by a sheriff's office canine, according to police. He was bitten and treated at Manatee Memorial Hospital. Mcnear did not try to resist arrest.

Neither Nonnombre nor Mcnear is cooperating with law enforcement, Racky said.

Both men attended Manatee County schools, district spokesman Mike Barber confirmed. Mcnear attended Manatee schools -- including time at the district's alternative school, Horizons Academy -- and withdrew in October 2014 as a 10th-grade student at Manatee High School, Barber said. Nonnombre finished the 2014-15 year as a 10th-grade student at Horizons, Barber said.

Thelma Robinson, Nonnombre's mother, said her son was a bright boy and wouldn't hurt anyone.

"The only problem I ever had with him was smoking, mainly, and a little bit of drinking," Robinson said. "He has never harmed anyone. Trey wouldn't even harm a dog. He would talk, but he would never hurt anybody."

Robinson said her son ended up at Horizons because he found bullet casings behind their home, put them in his pocket and took them to school to show his teachers.

"I told him, 'That was dumb of you to pick those up,'" Robinson said.

Robinson said Mcnear was their neighbor and would come over sometimes, but that she didn't know him very well. She said she had never heard of Jones before.

Robinson said her son had been at a family bonfire party she was having at her home at the time of the slayings, which had gone until "4 or 5 in the morning."

"How could he be there and still be home at the same time?" Robinson said.

Mcnear was convicted of burglary to an unoccupied dwelling in November 2014, according to court records. He and Nonnombre have juvenile arrest records, Racky said, which are not publicly available.

Both Nonnombre and Mcnear are charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted home invasion. The arrest warrant for Jones lists the same charges. Nonnombre was also charged with resisting arrest, and Mcnear was also charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

"I cannot state enough about all the hard work and dedication that all the detectives from the Manatee County Homicide Unit performed in solving this case," said Michael Radzilowski, chief of the Bradenton Police Department.

"A true example of professional police work in partnership with the community."

It is possible the charges will be upgraded to first-degree murder, Racky said, but Florida law requires all first-degree murder charges to be presented to a grand jury.

-- Herald staff writers Amaris Castillo and Meghin Delaney contributed to this story.

Kate Irby, Herald online/political reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7055. You can follow her on Twitter @KateIrby

This story was originally published July 14, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bradenton police hunt for third suspect in double homicide ."