Older Brother Arrested in 2018 Lakeland Teen Homicide Cold Case

Arrest in 2018 Cold Case Killing

• 🎯 Lakeland Police Department announced the arrest of Rex Honors III for the 2018 homicide of his 14-year-old half-brother, Rex Honors IV, known as "Stuffy."
• 💔 The victim's mother, Antwanette Tinsley, expressed her grief and desire to understand the motive behind her son's death.

Reopening and Solving the Case

• 🔍 Detectives reopened the cold case earlier this year, driven by a daily commitment to finding justice for Stuffy.
• 💡 Advancements in technology, particularly in forensic cell phone examination, were crucial in cracking the case.
• 🗣️ Investigators re-interviewed a 16-year-old witness who reported the brothers were fighting before a gunshot was heard.

Confession and Evidence

• 📱 Digital evidence from the suspect's cell phone, including over 26,000 pieces of data, pointed back to Rex Honors III.
• 🧼 The suspect confessed in October while incarcerated in Georgia on unrelated charges, admitting to cleaning the crime scene with bleach and disposing of the guns and bloody towels.
• 📍 Police state the suspect will be extradited to Polk County to face murder charges.
• ⚖️ Rex Honors III faces the possibility of life in prison for the crime.