2nd man arrested in death of Orlando taxi driver

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando police said on Thursday that a murder suspect has been charged in connection to a missing Orlando taxi driver in 2015.

Jamal Brown, 22, was arrested in Washington D.C. on Aug. 5, and arrived to Orange County on Sept. 14, 2016.

Brown is charged with the murder of Michael Smith, 59, after the victim disappeared on July 31, 2015.

Police said that Smith's taxi cab was found near Lake Sunset with obvious signs of foul play. Divers searched the lake days after the disappearance, but never announced finding anything.

In December 2015, police announced the arrest of Paul Strickland, 22, for the murder of Smith. At the time, police said that they believed Strickland did not act alone.

Brown is also charged with abusing a human body.

The judge in the case has sealed the 15 page arrest affidavit.

Court documents show in Strickland's case, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement submitted results from a DNA analysis in July 2016.

It is still unclear if investigators ever recovered Smith's body.

Both suspects face up to life in prison.


About the Author:

Troy graduated from California State University Northridge with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. He has reported on Mexican drug cartel violence on the El Paso/ Juarez border, nuclear testing facilities at the Idaho National Laboratory and severe Winter weather in Michigan.

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