Man charged with murder in January 2023 slayings of 2 homeless people in Miami-Dade
MIAMI -- A 30-year-old man has been arrested and is facing charges in connection with the slayings earlier this year of two homeless people in Miami, authorities said Thursday.
Kenneth Allen Bent was taken into custody following an investigation by police in Miami and Miami-Dade in the death of Marie Noel, 60, and Bradley Griffith, 61, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a written statement.
Bent has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of a felon in possession of a firearm, the statement said. It was not immediately clear if bond has been set in the case.
Police have said that Noel's body was found on Jan. 9 near NW 17th Avenue at 28th Street in Allapattah. Investigators said Griffith was found the next day in the same area and near NW 38th Street and 22nd Avenue. He had apparently been shot shortly after Noel was killed.
"To some people, homeless individuals appear to be easy targets for attacks or abuse," Rundle said in the statement. "In Miami-Dade County, this will never be tolerated."
Investigators did not immediately disclose a motive for the killings.
Said Miami-Dade Police Department Director Freddy Ramirez: "The homeless are a vulnerable population, and we hope this arrest brings closure to their families and loved ones."
Homeless advocates praised the arrest.
"While we can't bring back Marie Noel or Bradley Griffith, nor even begin to understand this merciless act, today's arrest does serve as a reminder for our sheltered and unsheltered homeless that your lives matter;" said Ron Book, chairman of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, in a written statement. "We will fight to bring justice in any case where our unprotected lay victim to hate, vitriol and senseless violence."