LAKELAND, FL (November 10, 2025) – Lakeland Police have announced an arrest in the 2018 murder of 14-year-old Rex Honors IV, bringing closure to a case that has remained unsolved for more than seven years. The suspect is the victim’s older brother, Rex Honors III.

According to Lakeland Police, the homicide happened on July 3, 2018. At 4:22 a.m., officers were called to 845 West Crawford Street after Honors III, then 21 years old, reported that he had arrived home and could not find his younger brother. Officers checked the residence and located 14-year-old Rex Honors IV — known to family as “Stuffy” — deceased in the backyard. At that time, detectives lacked the evidence needed to make an arrest.

Cold Case Investigators recently reopened the case. The renewed investigation was led by civilian detective Gary Gross, a former Lakeland Police Officer who returned to the department in June 2023. Gross said that as technology advanced, detectives were able to conduct a more thorough analysis of evidence that wasn’t accessible in 2018. A total of five cell phones were examined, and data recovered from the devices revealed new information that allowed detectives to connect the timeline of events and communication activity the night of the murder.

Detectives say the two brothers and a witness had been at the residence that night “just hanging out,” watching TV and scrolling on social media. An argument between the brothers escalated into a physical fight inside the home. The witness, who was 16 at the time, left the house as the fight intensified. While walking down the driveway, the witness heard a gunshot but never reported it to police.

Investigators now believe Rex Honors IV was shot inside a bedroom, then dragged outside and left in the backyard. Honors III allegedly attempted to clean up the scene, disposed of evidence, and threw two firearms and bloody towels in a neighbor’s trash can. Detectives also say Honors III called multiple family members and two girlfriends during the hours following the shooting. According to Gross, detectives believe those calls were made in an attempt to create an alibi.

The case turned when cell phone forensic advancements allowed detectives to revisit the digital data, reconstruct communication logs, and determine the sequence of events. Based on that information, detectives traveled to Albany, Georgia, where Honors III had recently been arrested for an unrelated stabbing incident. During an interview, detectives say he gave a full confession and provided details that only the person responsible for the shooting would know.

Honors III may have to resolve his charges in Georgia before he is extradited back to Polk County to face charges in the murder of his younger brother.

At the press briefing, the victim’s mother, Antionette, spoke briefly about her son and the years of pain caused by the unanswered case. Fighting tears, she said, “Stuffy was only 14. He was a good kid. He didn’t deserve it. He wasn’t in any gangs.”

Lakeland Police will release additional information during a scheduled press conference on November 12, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. in the Community Room on the second floor of the police department.