Arrest made in 2018 murder of 15-year-old

Orange County deputies make arrest in death of 15-year-old shot, killed while walking to school

Updated: 10:08 AM EST Nov 10, 2023

Orange County Sheriff John Mina announced an arrest in a five-year-old murder case on Friday morning. Alex Vargas was fatally shot Dec. 18, 2018 while he was walking to Boone High School. Investigators said 15-year-old Vargas was shot while being robbed for his phone. Deandre Florence has been charged with first-degree murder, racketeering and robbery. Florence “has been a suspect in this case from the very beginning,” Mina said. Mina said detectives “never forgot about this case.”