Two women who were teenagers in 2007 have been charged with the murder of Leon Heron, who was shot and killed outside his Lauderdale Lakes apartment on May 13, 2007, as he was bringing dinner home to his wife. The Broward Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit said the case went cold for years before a tip helped break it open.
The tip came from Brittany Hanfield, who was already in prison on unrelated armed robbery charges. Investigators say Hanfield implicated herself and an accomplice, Sheila Arstil, in the killing. Detective Dave Towsley said the two 17-year-olds were driving around Broward County in a stolen SUV looking for someone to rob, and one of them carried a handgun.
Towsley said one teen had a small handgun and the other had a knife. Investigators found broken glass and shell casings at the scene, along with signs that Heron tried to fight back. He said DNA evidence places the women at the scene and that both have given confessions.
Both women are now in their late 30s. Investigators said they recently told detectives the crime was completely random. Arstil was arrested at her home this week and booked into the Broward County Jail on a charge of premeditated murder. Hanfield was charged with the same offense while already in custody.
Heron’s family said it is relieved that detectives finally solved the case.
