A man charged with shooting and killing three men at a poker game in Palatka, Florida believed that he had been cheated during the contest.
The man, Demaris Crittenden II, aged 28, was arrested by officers in Marion County last Sunday and charged with three counts of first degree murder.
The victims were found dead at 108 Carver St, just outside Palatka city limits, by the owner of the building, on Saturday morning. Officers said that people had been using the location, a former bar, for high-stakes poker games.
This particular game had started on Friday evening and continued through the night. Crittenden had been involved in the game, but had lost. Sheriff's Office spokesman Major Keith Riddick said that “We understand that he felt that they were cheating, and he went back apparently to confront them about that.”
Crittenden left with money taken from the game – an amount estimated to be between $2,000 and $9,000.
According to officers, Crittenden has a lengthy criminal record, but the charges are mostly fraud and forgery related, and he had no record for violent crimes. The three victims also have criminal histories, although they had not been arrested for significant charges at any time recently. Crittenden is co-operating with the investigation.
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