Duane Demaris Crittenden II was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder for killing three men at a private poker game he had attended. Crittenden had left the poker game, but believing that he had been cheated, he returned only to kill three other men. A statement by the Putnam County Sheriff’s offices says that Crittenden shot Jerome Anthony Henry and Richard David Smith one time each, and he shot Robert Erwin Ford twice. Ford’s body was also discovered to have several stab wounds. Smith and Ford were both 50-years old, while Henry was 48. Duane Demaris Crittenden is 28.
Crittenden left the scene of the crime with several thousand dollars that he took from his victims. Some of the money has since been recovered by the sheriff’s office but it is not known exactly how much was taken. The sheriff’s office believes that each player brought approximately $1,000 to play in the game.
Crittenden was arrested in the city of Ocala, which was about 40 miles away from the scene of the crime. The police found a gun and a knife in a dumpster behind a pharmacy in Ocala and both the gun and the knife have been identified as the murder weapons. The sheriff’s office praised the community for their efforts in helping the police, as numerous tips poured into the sheriff’s office which helped lead them to Crittenden.
Crittenden has had a number of run-ins with the law before, as he has been convicted 18 times for a variety of non-violent crimes. He is currently being held in the Marion County Jail without bond. His arraignment is currently scheduled for March 19th.