The life of Dwight “DJ” Grant came to a tragic end on the evening of October 17. He was stabbed in the neck with a knife, and his chest was pierced open by the thrust of a sword. Police say a surveillance camera captured footage of the incident that left an 18-year-old high school student dead and could forever change the future of three other teenagers involved.
What makes the death even more disheartening is that police say the alleged killers are Dwight “DJ” Grant’s classmates, who spent days plotting the violent act.
The three juveniles accused of killing Grant, a senior at Miramar High School whose body was discovered near his family’s apartment two days after he went missing, will be charged as adults.
According to NBC News, the teens—a 17-year-old boy, and two girls, one 17 and one 16—set out to kill Grant in retaliation for Grant allegedly having consensual sex with the boy’s ex-girlfriend. The ambush was plotted through a series of text messages, the 17-year-old boy writing “murder was coming soon.”
The accused minors will be charged with murder in the first-degree, evidence tampering, and conspiracy within the coming weeks, WJTV reports.
The details leading to Grant’s disappearance are graphic: One teen is accused of being a lookout while two others allegedly held Grant down before beating him. He was eventually stabbed in his neck and chest. According to CBS4, the arrest report of one of the suspects claims video footage of the attack shows the minors moving the body. It is unclear exactly when authorities discovered the footage.
Police found the body behind an apartment building complex in the teens’ hometown of Miramar, located just twenty minutes outside of Miami. According to the Washington Post, the three teens burned some of their clothing after the incident. However, DNA evidence, along with video footage, placed them at the scene of the crime. Prosecutors decided to charge the three teens as adults after thoroughly examining the incident, Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said in a statement.
“If this case were to be handled as a juvenile matter, the maximum term of residential treatment would be 36 months prior to release,” according to a statement from the Broward State Attorney’s Office. “A juvenile charge would mean that the person would be released after three years in the system and could only be kept under supervision in the community until age 21.”
According to NBC News, Miramar High School Principal Loli Formoso wrote an emotional post on Twitter, sending support to Dwight Grant’s family and loved ones.
“May our forever Patriot Rest In Peace,” Formoso wrote. “Please pray for Dwight Grant’s family, friends and our community. I spoke with Ms. Grant to offer our condolences on behalf of the Patriot family. We will have grief counselors available on Thursday & Friday. We are here for you.”