WATCH LIVE: State Attorney Worrell responds to Chitwood over DeLand homicide suspect’s record

ORLANDO, Fla. – Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood took to social media to accuse prosecutors in Orange and Osceola counties of being too lenient with a teen who is now accused of killing two people in DeLand.

Keyan Rundell, 17, was arrested Wednesday on homicide charges in the deaths of Dustin Rose and Samson Campbell last week.

On Thursday, Chitwood said Rundell was “the recipient of years of second chances, dropped charges, and lack of prosecution in the 9th Judicial Circuit of Orange & Osceola counties.”

“We’re talking about aggravated battery and assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, multiple counts of battery, criminal mischief, vehicle theft, trespassing, drug possession, another aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, resisting an officer, all dating back to 2021,” Chitwood wrote. “Charges that were either dropped, non-filed, dismissed, or at best, resolved with probation.”

Because Rundell is a juvenile, information on his previous cases is limited. News 6 found records of several cases between 2022 and 2025 in Orange and Volusia counties.

Chitwood mentions the 2025 case we found in his post. It took place in Volusia County.

“Before his latest and worst criminal act, Keyan Rundell was in a diversion program for drug possession and disturbing a school function,” Chitwood wrote.

State Attorney Monique Worrell, who leads prosecution for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, issued a statement responding to Chitwood, in part:

“The most recent case referenced by Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood that involves this juvenile did not occur within the Ninth Judicial Circuit, but rather his own Seventh Circuit and is therefore outside the jurisdiction of this office to speak to,” Worrell wrote.

Chitwood’s post also put him in the middle of the ongoing feud between Worrell and Florida State Attorney James Uthmeier, who used the case to once again attack her and her office.

Responding to Chitwood on X.com, Uthmeier posted, “State Attorney Worrell’s neglect of duty and incompetence are a danger to the 9th Judicial Circuit, and her failures cause bloodshed in surrounding counties. Soft on crime policies do not work!”

Worrell, in her statement, also responded to Uthmeier, accusing him of being more interested in scoring political points. The rest of her statement is below.

“Because juvenile proceedings are confidential under Florida law, the State Attorney’s Office is limited in what it can publicly discuss regarding individual juvenile cases. However, since our circuit’s name has been invoked in an effort to inject election year politics into a tragedy, it is important to clarify several points.

• Prosecutors do not determine sentencing outcomes in juvenile cases. Dispositions are ultimately determined by the Court, with recommendations and involvement from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
• As State Attorney, I have consistently advocated for a more effective, data-driven juvenile justice system that identifies high-risk youth early and provides meaningful interventions to reduce violence. As part of that effort, I have repeatedly sought collaboration with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice to discuss opportunities to strengthen coordination, identify gaps in intervention, and improve outcomes for young people before they commit more serious offenses. Despite those repeated outreach efforts, the Department has not responded. In fact, most recently, they’ve outright declined to participate in these conversations.
• Prosecutors make charging decisions based on the evidence legally available to them. When a case cannot be prosecuted, that may be the result of evidentiary limitations, including circumstances in which necessary victims or witnesses are unable or unwilling to participate. The State Attorney’s Office cannot ethically or lawfully pursue charges when the available evidence is insufficient to support prosecution. We cannot manufacture outcomes to fit a political agenda.

“Accountability matters, but so does intervention before a child’s behavior escalates to the point that lives are lost. This tragedy involves an individual whose interactions with the criminal justice system began at just 12-years-old. That fact underscores why early intervention matters and why the entire system must be reformed.

“Protecting our communities requires every part of the juvenile justice system to work together. My office remains committed to that work and putting partisan politics aside to protect residents.”