Marion County Teen Receives 40-Year Sentence for 2023 Triple Homicide

OCALA, Fla. – One of three teenagers accused in a triple homicide case from 2023 was sentenced by a judge in Marion County Tuesday.

Christopher Atkins, who was 12 when he was arrested, will spend the next 40 years behind bars, with an option to review at 25 years.

In April, Atkins pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder, as one of three people accused of murdering three other teens in 2023.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods reported that Atkins and a co-defendant, Robert Robinson, admitted to the murder of 17-year-old Camille Quarles, whose body was discovered in the trunk of a car partially submerged in water.

[WATCH: Marion County sheriff announces arrests in 2023 triple homicide]

The other two victims — 16-year-old Layla Silvernail and 17-year-old Michael Hodo Jr. — were also found dead in the Ocklawaha area.

Family and friends of the victims gave emotional impact statements during sentencing Tuesday.

“I am utterly devastated,” expressed Lisa Windsor, grandmother of Layla Silvernail. “Papa and I were already struggling with health issues, and this heartache feels as though it is slowly consuming us from within. The suffering is unending. It never ceases.”

Christina Stewart, Camille’s godmother, told News 6’s Emily McLeod that it was hard being in the courtroom.

“When I look at the 12-year-old, I see someone who might have had a promising future, but I also see the one who ended Camille’s life, leaving me feeling very torn,” shared Stewart.

We’re expecting the other two people involved in the case, Robert Robinson and Tahj Brewton, to be sentenced next Tuesday at the Marion County Courthouse.