Man accused of killing cousin, dumping body on side of the road in West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A former Palm Beach County resident is accused of shooting and killing his cousin, and dumping his body on the side of the road in West Palm Beach.

The West Palm Beach Police Department (WPBPD) said four months ago, a 911 call came in at 3:30 a.m. on October 10, 2023, reporting someone dragging a body from a car near 45th Street and Military Trail.

When officers arrived at the intersection, they were able to find the victim, 37-year-old Victor Devore Howard, from Lake Park, on the side of the road — he was barely alive. Tragically, Howard died an hour later at St. Mary's Medical Center.

At around 4 a.m., Gary Tromane Everett, the victim's cousin, flagged down a Riviera Beach police officer at the intersection of Blue Heron Boulevard and Congress Avenue. He told the officer his cousin was shot in Gramercy Park on Parke Ave. Deputies with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office responded to the park but determined no shooting took place in the area.

The WPBPD said Everett allegedly failed to give any information about Howard was shot, or why he had Howard's car with blood all over him. The statements Everett provided to the Riviera Beach Police Department were refuted following an investigation, West Palm Beach Homicide Unit detectives said.

See also: Second man charged in connection with deadly 2023 shooting

The WPBPD said evidence was collected that showed Everett was the gunman, and the deadly shooting occurred inside the victim's work car.

The Palm Beach County medical examiner determined Howard was killed from a single gunshot wound to the head. Police said a single bullet casing was recovered from the car, and detectives determined a large amount of cash was taken from the victim.

Four months later, at around 3:30 p.m. on February 21, police said 46-year-old Everett was arrested at his apartment in Milledgeville, Georgia — a city northeast of Macon.

Everett was booked into the Georgia Baldwin County Jail for second-degree murder with a firearm. His extradition to Florida is pending.