Published on
MELBOURNE, Fla. — April 2, 2026 — A 19-year-old Indialantic man has been formally charged with second-degree murder in the brutal killing and dismemberment of a registered sex offender whose partial remains were found in suitcases dumped in a remote Palm Bay “Compound” last week, according to a detailed arrest affidavit released Wednesday by the Palm Bay Police Department.
Lucas Sander Jones, born September 29, 2006, of 420 Watson Drive, Indialantic, is accused of murdering 28-year-old Colie Lee Daniel on or about March 20, 2026, at Jones’ residence. The charging document — an 5-page affidavit sworn by Palm Bay Detective H. Branch paints a chilling picture of premeditated violence, methodical dismemberment, and a self-styled vigilante motive tied directly to Daniel’s status as a registered sex offender.
Jones was initially arrested March 29 on charges of tampering with evidence, abuse of a dead human body, and improper disposal of human remains. Prosecutors upgraded the case to Murder (PBL) — second-degree under Florida Statute 782.04(2) — the “depraved mind” theory — on April 1 after obtaining a new sworn statement from Jones’ girlfriend, Mishai Burrows, and autopsy results.
According to the affidavit, Daniel arrived at Jones’ Watson Drive home in his white Hyundai Elantra at approximately 5:32 p.m. on March 20. Neighborhood surveillance captured him entering and exiting the vehicle.
Later that evening, around 9:45 p.m., Daniel’s parents arrived at the home to check on their son. Jones answered the door, claimed Daniel was inside, but refused to let the parents or Indialantic police enter. While officers and family were still outside, Burrows arrived in her red Honda Accord Hybrid. Jones instructed her to “just go in and not say anything.”
Inside, Burrows told detectives she immediately saw black spray paint on the hallway walls, blood on the floor and tile grout, and red blood stains on the jeans Jones was wearing. Jones then confessed to her directly: “I killed somebody and cut him up.” He later identified the victim as “Colie Lee” (Daniel) and told her he murdered him with a baseball bat, then dismembered the body using a cleaver, a saw, and a knife. The remains were placed in two black suitcases and two large Rubbermaid totes stored in the garage.
Burrows said she never saw Daniel alive or dead, by the time she arrived, the body had already been dismembered and packaged. She described a cracked and dented tile outside Jones’ bedroom “in the shape of a head.” Jones had already begun cleaning: blood was still visible in grout, carpet rugs, baseboards, and the wall outside the bedroom. He asked Burrows to bring cleaning supplies earlier that day via text.
At 2:29 a.m. on March 21, Jones took Burrows’ Honda alone to nearby train tracks and dropped an “evidentiary bag” with unknown contents. Later that morning, after a welfare check by Indialantic police (during which Jones appeared disheveled, with red stains on his arms and chest, puffiness under his eyes, and visible bruising/contusions to his shoulder and neck), Jones loaded the totes and at least one suitcase into the Honda.
Flock camera data captured two round trips to the remote “Compound” area near 1574 Bombardier Blvd in Palm Bay, one with Burrows, one solo. During the solo trip, Jones stopped at Lowe’s to buy paint, then returned to the train tracks to retrieve the bag before dumping everything in the Compound.
In her March 30 sworn statement to detectives — in which she recanted an earlier, coached version — Burrows said Jones explicitly told her the motive in the days after the killing: Daniel was a registered sex offender, and “he wanted to kill him.” Jones had printed out a list of nearby registered sex offenders using his gray Apple laptop; his mother later found and threw it away before the first search warrant.
Daniel lived nearby on Shannon Avenue in Indialantic and was almost certainly on that list.
Jones also coached Burrows on what to tell police, researched body language and deception techniques, and reminded her to act normal and go to work. He tracked her phone and had placed an AirTag in Daniel’s vehicle.
During the March 28 search warrant at Jones’ home, investigators found extensive blood spatter and droplets throughout the hallway, living room, garage, and kitchen — presumptively positive for human blood. Additional items seized or located later (after Burrows’ tip) included:
The Brevard County Medical Examiner confirmed the remains as Daniel on March 31. The autopsy ruled the manner of death homicide. Cause of death remains undetermined because not all body parts have been recovered, but the remains showed:
Colie Lee Daniel was himself convicted in 2017 of Lewd or Lascivious Battery (Fla. Stat. § 800.04(4)(a)) after molesting a 12-year-old boy.
According to the 2017 Indialantic Police affidavit (Case #2017-00000666), Daniel, then 19 and a student at Melbourne High School took the 12-year-old (A.L.) behind a closed business on Sixth Avenue in Indialantic on Jan. 11 or 12, 2017. Daniel confessed on tape: “I sucked his dick.” He admitted grabbing the boy’s arm and wrapping his arms around the child’s knees to prevent him from escaping while performing oral sex. The boy cried and ran home. Daniel told detectives he had “strong sexual urges” and “usually try to keep it legal” when dealing with juveniles. He also possessed nude images of multiple underage students. He was sentenced to 36 days time-served in jail, and probation.
Daniel was a registered sex offender at the time of his death.
There are eerie parallels to the fictional character Dexter Morgan, a vigilante who targeted criminals and kept blood-slide trophies. Jones allegedly kept microscope slides of Daniel’s blood/DNA, researched concealment techniques, and told Burrows he killed Daniel specifically because of his sex-offender status.
Jones is currently in custody. A first-appearance hearing was held; and he was denied bail on the murder charge. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Palm Bay Police and the State Attorney’s Office continue to investigate. The affidavit emphasizes that Jones “had planned prior acts and made preparations through not only tools but various weapons to carry out the act of murder.”
Lucas Sander Jones is the younger brother of Nicholas Lee Jones (born March 2, 2004), who died at age 19 in a tragic motorcycle accident on August 12, 2023, along with his girlfriend. A truck making a U-turn pulled out in front of the couple; both were killed.
Nicholas “Nick” Jones graduated from Melbourne Central Catholic High School in 2022, where he played baseball, and was studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of North Florida. He was an adventurous, faith-driven young man who loved God, country, family, sports, boating, and serving others. His obituary described him as “pure joy” with a “vivacious spirit” and “insatiable zest for life.”
The Jones family suffered the devastating loss less than three years ago. A GoFundMe-style Venmo drive was shared by close family friend, then Satellite Beach City Councilwoman Mindy Holcomb-Gibson to help with unexpected costs, with the post urging drivers to “always look twice for motorcycles.”
This remains an active case. Jones is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The full affidavit is embedded below.
This is a developing story. Updates will be posted as more information becomes available from the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court in Brevard County.
Document_41160044_RD
