3 Arrests Made in Fatal Sarasota Home Invasion

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has brought three people into custody on charges related to the fatal Dec. 14 home invasion that left Jonathan Jeffery, 25, dead.

The crime in question unfolded around 5:30 a.m. when three men wearing masks broke into a home at 5603 Summerside Lane in Sarasota. The men, Jeffery’s wife, Brandi, told detectives demanded cash and drugs. They took an Xbox, a bag of money and cell phones. Before leaving the home, one of the men shot Jonathan in the back of the head, a sheriff’s office media release stated.

Early in the investigation, detectives were able to identify two separate vehicles that were seen speeding away from the home that morning. One of the cars, a Mitsubishi Eclipse, was traced to Christian Michael Thomas Theodore, 22, of 3040 Jennings Drive. When detectives went to the home, they found the other vehicle, a Honda Civic, parked in the driveway and determined it was driven by Theodore’s girlfriend, Azalea Mendoza, 19, whose mother owns the Jennings Drive home.

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Investigators were able to connect a third person to the crime through surveillance video obtained from the Walmart on Cattlemen Road. That video shows Theodore and Byron Jones, 26, of 680 79th Terrace N., Apt. 303, in St. Petersburg three hours before the murder, the release stated. Video showed the men purchasing camouflage bandanas and gloves. They also purchased cable ties – which matched the lot number found on the victims.

Theodore was brought in for questioning on Jan. 5 and search warrants were obtained for the Jennings Drive home and both vehicles.

Theodore was ultimately charged with second-degree murder and armed home invasion robbery. He was on probation for a similar crime in Manatee County back in 2011 and has a lengthy record in Sarasota County, deputies report.

Mendoza was charged with accessory to a homicide after the fact.

Jones was taken into custody by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. He was charged with principal to second-degree murder.

During the search of the Jennings Drive home, Sarasota deputies also arrested Antione Battle, 19, of Atlanta. He was wanted in connection with an October shooting at a high school in Georgia. He is currently being held at the Sarasota County Jail as a fugitive pending action from Georgia law enforcement. He faces felony murder and three other charges, Sarasota deputies say.

Photo Credit: Christian Theodore, Azalea Mendoza, Byron Jones/Courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office