2 IRC teens charged as adults in shooting deaths of 2 Brevard County teens in vape deal

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY – Two teens arrested in connection to what authorities said was the fatal shooting of two Brevard County teens during a meet-up to buy vape pens, will be tried as adults and face new charges following re-arrest and court developments this week.

The day after the March 11 shootings of Joseph Mitchel Cardella, 19, of Melbourne, and Logan James Thompson, 19, of Palm Bay, law enforcement officials announced the arrest of suspected shooter Jaime Mosqueda, 17, of Fellsmere, and the following week, the arrest of John Govea, 16, of the Vero Lake Estates neighborhood where the meet-up occurred.

“Detectives are still actively investigating…,” said Sgt. Kevin Jaworski with Indian River County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. “(There’s) a lot of forensic processing that needs to be done…since the crime happened.”

Govea was being held in juvenile detention since mid-March, and was first said to be a key witness in the investigation. His name initially was withheld for that reason, according to Sheriff Eric Flowers, and later because of his young age.

Govea was arrested again Monday and charged as an adult, according to court records. He faces two counts of third-degree murder with a weapon or firearm, two counts of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and making false reports regarding a capital crime.

Florida is one of only three states with a third-degree murder charge, which says that the person charged either killed someone, or was with the person who either possessed, or used a weapon, and killed someone during the commission of (a) felony. Second-degree murder indicates a killing was not planned; first-degree murder is a planned killing.

Mosqueda’s new charges include two counts of second-degree murder with a firearm, two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon with discharge causing great bodily harm and tampering with evidence.

Govea was first said to be the unnamed friend of Mosqueda who Sheriff Eric Flowers said in a March 12 press conference was brought to the agency by his parents and who told detectives what happened during and after the shooting.

Flowers said detectives were told Mosqueda fired what were later found to be 20 rounds and then discarded the weapon. Govea said he had no knowledge beforehand of any possible shooting.

Flowers said detectives found evidence contradicting Govea’s statements in exchanges in video and audio recordings, which he said showed Govea likely knew of the plans.

Both are local students, but a school district spokesperson declined to disclose the high schools they attended citing district policy.

Court records show each was cited with possession of a tobacco, or nicotine dispensing device between 2019 and 2020 while Govea, of the 7800 block of 91^st Avenue, was a student at Storm Grove Middle School and Mosqueda, of the 50 block of South Mulberry Street, at Sebastian River Middle School.

“Mosqueda is still the only suspect for the shooting,” Jaworski said.

Here's how detectives say the shooting happened

Govea and Mosqueda arranged a meeting with Cardella and Thompson to buy 1,300 THC vape pens valued at $3,000 on March 11.

THC is the substance that's primarily responsible for the effects of marijuana on a person's mental state, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

License plate cameras captured Cardella and Thompson's vehicle enter the county around 2:30 p.m.

Just after 3 p.m. reports from residents of loud noises and a man lying in a yard led deputies to the discovery of the two bodies, a car with bullet holes, and about $1,000 scattered near the vehicle off a dirt road near a wooded lot off 105^th Court.

During the March 18 news conference, Flowers said there were "20 gunshots fired ... in succession,” and that Cardella and Thompson were struck a total of 14 times.

Flowers said they found the 9mm handgun with an extended capacity magazine used and hidden after the shooting, and learned of Mosqueda's whereabouts with his family at his home in Fellsmere.

Govea and Mosqueda are each held without bond in the Indian River County Jail.

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Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow @coreyarwood on X, email corey.arwood@tcpalm.com or call 772-978-2246