WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 46-year-old man has been arrested in Georgia after an October 2023 fatal shooting of his cousin, a Lake Park man, whose body was found dumped on the side of the road in West Palm Beach.
Gary Everett was arrested on Feb. 21 at his apartment in Milledgeville, Georgia, on a warrant for murder, spokesman Mike Jachles said in a news release Tuesday.
When the shooting was announced, the suspect and victim were not identified.
At 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 10, a 911 caller reported seeing someone dragging a body from a car near 45th Street and Military Trail. Victor Howard, 37, of Lake Park, was found alive but died an hour later at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach.
Shortly thereafter, Everett flagged down a Riviera Beach police officer at Blue Heron Boulevard and Congress Avenue and said his cousin had been shot in Gramercy Park in Palm Beach County.
Sheriff's deputies responded and determined no shooting occurred there, Jachles said.
Everett's statements to Riviera Beach police were refuted and evidence was obtained that confirmed Everett was the shooter and the death took place inside the car, which was the victim's work vehicle, Jachles said.
The Palm Beach County medical examiner said Howard was killed by a single gunshot to the head. A single casing was found in the car.
Detectives also determined that a large sum of cash was taken from the victim. At the time, Everett failed to provide any information about how Howard was shot or why he had Howard's car with blood all over him, Jachles said.
Everett was booked into the Baldwin County Jail in Georgia on a charge of second-degree murder with a firearm. His extradition to Florida was pending.