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Arrest made in 6-year-old Florida murder case
A relentless pursuit for answers has finally produced a breakthrough in a 6-year-old murder case. A suspect is now facing first-degree murder charges in the death of Michael Kotait. His family is now sharing their relief with FOX 35's Marie Edinger.
SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. - The Sumter County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) has made an arrest in a murder committed six years ago.
Although this is a win for the family of 61-year-old Michael Kotait, who was killed in 2019, they say they're still searching for answers. Investigators believe other people were involved, and they’re asking the community for information.
Arrest made in 2019 murder
What we know:
Earlier this week, the SCSO announced an arrest made in the 2019 murder of Kotait.
Darrell Bogle, 26, was arrested for first-degree murder and is now behind bars. He's being held in the Sumter County Jail with no bond.
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Detectives said they had been after Bogle for a while. When they arrested him, deputies said they caught him with a stolen 9mm handgun and a variety of hard drugs.
Darrell Bogle, 26, is facing a first-degree murder charge. (Credit: Sumter County Jail)
What's next:
Authorities are still searching for more answers in the investigation, as they believe there were others involved in the murder.
What you can do:
Anyone with information on the investigation is asked to contact Detective John Knight or Sgt. Larry Thompson of the SCSO at (352) 793-2621. You can also remain anonymous by contacting Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
What they're saying:
Kotait was an engineer from Winter Garden.
Randa Paul, the daughter of Kotait, says she's refused to let her father's case go cold for the past six years.
"He was the kind of person who made everybody feel special," she said. "That's probably my favorite thing about my dad."
Paul says the arrest is a win, but it’s just a start.
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"It's almost like nothing is closed," she said. "There's not been any grieving process … which is why we are asking the community to help us. We know that people know what happened, and so far, they're not talking."
Michael Kotait (Photos courtesy of Michael Kotait's family)
What happened to Michael Kotait?
The backstory:
Detectives said Kotait’s body was found in a yard in Wildwood on Nov. 19, 2019. His car was found submerged at a nearby boat ramp just before that.
The Source: This story was written based on information gathered by FOX 35's Marie Edinger in interviews with the family of Michael Kotait, as well as from the Sumter County Sheriff's Office (SCSO).