MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – The best friend of a 14-year-old boy who is accused of killing his parents inside a Middleburg home said he didn’t believe it when he first heard the news that someone he thought he knew well was charged with a heinous act.
Trevor Lee is now in custody and charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Deputies said he called 911 from a church early Monday morning to say he had killed his parents, Sheriff Michelle Cook announced.
Cook said when deputies arrived at the home in the area of Silver Point and County Road 220, they found 44-year-old David Lee and 45-year-old Brandi Smith dead from apparent gunshot wounds.
“They were probably the best, or one of the best families, I knew,” family friend Kyree Beamon told News4JAX. “They were funny, and they treated me very well. They told me all the time that they loved me like a son, and they treated me as such.”
He says he and Trevor played on the same football team, and just this past Friday, Trevor and his dad gave him a ride to and from practice.
Beamon said he and Trevor had been friends since elementary school and they spoke on the phone just after midnight.
“He told me that he loved me and he told me that he was just calling to tell me good night,” Beamon said, adding he wasn’t sure if Lee called him before or after he called 911.
A weapon, which is believed to belong to the couple, was found in the home, Cook said.
She said Trevor Lee left it in the home when he walked to a church about a mile away to call police just after midnight. Deputies found him at the church and took him into custody.
WATCH: Press play below to watch the sheriff’s full news conference
Cook said it appears Trevor Lee got into an argument with his parents Sunday night that ended in the deadly shooting, but detectives are still working to gather evidence and determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
Beamon said it’s still hard to believe, but he hopes people remember Trevor for more than just what happened.
“Trevor isn’t a bad person; he made some bad decisions, and he will suffer the consequences, but that’s not all he was,” Beamon said. “He was a great friend, great brother, great son. And I’m not going to say Trevor isn’t my best friend anymore, because the Trevor that did this, I don’t know that Trevor, and the Trevor that I knew, and all of our friends knew, I will continue to be friends with him, and I pray that the Trevor that did this died last night.”
Cook said there is no threat to the community, but investigators are asking anyone with information about Trevor Lee to call the Sheriff’s Office at 904-264-6512 or share a tip on Safer Watch.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and all those impacted by this heartbreaking event. Our thoughts remain with them as they navigate this unimaginable loss,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
