DAYTONA BEACH, Fla — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took aim at President Joe Biden in a news release where he claimed the man police say was responsible for the "gruesome" murder of a husband and wife was in the country illegally.
According to the governor, Jean R. Macean is a citizen of Haiti with arrest charges dating back to 2019. Macean was arrested in Orange County that year on drug-related charges. But, DeSantis claims the State Attorney's Office dropped those charges for "unknown reasons."
Police began investigating the murder of Brenda and Terry Aultman around 2 a.m. on Mar. 6 after responding to a call for a possible hit-and-run when someone reported seeing two people lying in the grass.
But when they arrived, police noticed the couple had multiple stab wounds and that their throats had been slashed, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said in an interview posted by WESH 2 reporter Claire Metz.
Investigators say they believe the couple was riding their bicycles home from Main Street, where the Daytona Bike Week motorcycle event was held when the attack happened.
DeSantis claims Macean was able to remain in the country due to the Biden administration's Temporary Protected Status for Haiti in 2021.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that the 18-month TPS was granted due to a political crisis happening in Haiti and concerns over security and dire economic conditions.
“Floridians should not be subject to the reckless open border policies that the Biden Administration is imposing on this country,” DeSantis said, in part. “These policies are deadly — we also need answers as to why the State Attorney’s Office dropped charges against the defendant.”
Surveillance video from the night of the Aultmans' attack is said to have "painted a picture" for police.
At this time, police say they still don't have a motive for the “random, senseless act of violence that should have never occurred.”
