Two men are in custody Wednesday after two bodies were found by crews who responded to a brush fire on the Beeline Highway earlier this month.
The bodies, identified as twin brothers Brandon and Brian Allen, of West Palm Beach, were found in the 12000 block of Beeline Hwy. in Palm Beach Gardens after Palm Beach County Fire Rescue put out a brush fire the night of March 15.
The suspects, Jullian Cathirell, 21, and Darin Byrd, 19, face charges of first-degree murder with a firearm, unlawful disturbance of a body, tampering with evidence and tampering with an individual.
In an arrest affidavit, deputies said a cooperating witness blamed the pair for the murders. On March 14th the witness said Julian, who had an ongoing feud with Brandon, got into a fight with the twins over household issues in an apartment near the intersection of Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard and Congress Avenue.
The witness, according to the affidavit, said Julian pulled out a handgun and shot Brian in the stomach and then Brandon in the forearm and when Brandon tried to escape Darin blocked him from leaving and pushed him to the ground. The witness then said he heard two more gunshots and Julian came out of the apartment and said Brian and Brandon were dead.
The bodies of the twins were wrapped in sheets, blankets and plastic and stored in the bathtub until the following evening, according to information the witness gave and was recorded in the affidavit.
“This was good old fashioned police work, it really was. They identified the bodies, they had to get DNA. Sadly the twin brothers’ families are no longer alive. That was a struggle. Our DNA lab did a phenomenal job,” Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Teri Barbera said.
Investigators said bleach and cleaning products were used to try and hide evidence.
Both suspects appeared in court Wednesday morning and are being held without bond.
We have arrested Jullian Cathirell and Darin Byrd for the monstrous murder of Twin Brothers, Brandon and Brian Allen. #Justicepic.twitter.com/iERRDYF6C3
— PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) March 29, 2017