Florida Man Charged With Murder 8 Years After Shooting

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - A 42-year-old man was charged with first-degree murder Monday eight years after the victim was shot. James Riddle was arrested on Feb. 4, 2010 for shooting two men during a drug-related argument, deputies said. One of the men died and the other was wounded, but survived.

Riddle was charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. He entered a guilty plea to the charges on Oct. 17, 2012 and was sentenced to 38 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.

The murder victim was identified as John Roland, 25. The attempted murder victim who survived the shooting was identified as Aaron Reny, 37. On Jan. 13, 2018, Reny was pronounced dead due to delayed complications of multiple gunshot wounds, deputies said.

The murder and attempted murder occurred in the area of 3365 57th Avenue North, in unincorporated St. Petersburg. About 8 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010, detectives responded to a homicide in the area on 57th Avenue North. Roland was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Reny was alive and was treated at a local hospital for multiple gunshot wounds. Riddle was taken into custody.

After Reny died in January, an autopsy was conducted by the Medical Examiner's Office, which concluded that his death was a result of delayed complications of the multiple gunshot wounds that occurred in 2010. On Monday, Feb. 5, 2018, Riddle was transported to the Pinellas County Jail from Okeechobee Correctional Facility and charged with first-degree murder.

Image via Shutterstock; mugshot via Pinellas County Sheriff