Crime & Safety
Alachua County, FL Murder Case: 3 Men Convicted After 7-Year Probe
Hawthorne, FL – Three men have been convicted in the 2017 killing of a 23 year old Hawthorne woman after an investigation spanning more than seven years in Alachua County, southeast of Gainesville.
By Jenna Hartley · 2026-09-29T21:15:23.216Z
Hawthorne, FL – Three men have been convicted in the 2017 killing of a 23 year old Hawthorne woman after an investigation spanning more than seven years in Alachua County, southeast of Gainesville.
According to the Alachua County Sheriff ’s Office, a jury returned guilty verdicts following a week long trial in connection with the shooting death of Christin Cassels, 23 .
Nikenson Perin was found guilty of first degree murder and trespass and was sentenced to life in prison. Blake Jackson and Keneth Altidor were each found guilty of second degree murder and are awaiting sentencing, authorities said.
Cassels was shot and killed in Hawthorne in 2017, launching an investigation that ultimately involved hundreds of hours of detective work.
The sheriff’s office said investigators later identified Perin, Jackson and Altidor as suspects after analyzing newly developed cellphone and geofencing data.
Jackson and Altidor were arrested in July 2024 with assistance from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said Altidor was arrested July 15 in Fort Lauderdale, while Jackson was arrested the following day in Hallandale Beach.
Both were held in Broward County pending extradition to Alachua County.
Perin was already serving a federal prison sentence in Seattle when he was charged in Cassels’ death, according to the sheriff’s office. He was later extradited to Alachua County to face the case.
The sheriff’s office said Cassels’ family, friends and detectives were present in the courtroom when the verdicts were announced.
Jackson and Altidor are expected to return to court for sentencing at later dates.