Cocoa Police Arrest Suspect For Murder of Girlfriend

By  //  August 29, 2014

charged with second degree murder

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ABOVE VIDEO: The Cocoa police have arrested Dennis Aviles, II, 33, on second degree murder charges after a shooting Friday morning on Johnson Street in Cocoa left Tahnika Michelle Duppins dead. (Map above)

BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA, FLORIDA – Dennis Aviles, II, 33, has been arrested in connection with the murder of his girlfriend, Tahnika Michelle Duppins earlier today, according to Officer Barbara Matthews of the Cocoa Police Department.

According to police, Aviles initially alleged that two black males entered the residence and shot Duppins during a botched drug related robbery. However, throughout the course of this investigation, the witness statements did not reflect information obtained from the crime scene.

Aviles was considered a “person of interest” very early into the investigation. Matthews said investigators did recover a handgun but will have to wait for lab results to determine if that gun was the murder weapon.

duppins tahnike 180
Tahnika Michelle Duppins

Aviles has been charged with second degree murder as well as providing false information to the police, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and charges related to the destruction of evidence.

During the investigation and search for the alleged suspects this morning, Ronald McNair and Golfview Elementary were locked down after the shooting. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, along with Cocoa police and Brevard County Sheriff’s deputies, were involved in the search for the murder suspects this morning

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