Justin Bechtold

Justin Bechtold was a hardworking 25-year-old man who was preparing to take over his family’s well-drilling business in Sebastian, Florida. Described by his father as funny and loved by everyone, Justin had lived in Sebastian for most of his life before moving to a home in south Vero Beach. His parents, Tim and Michelle Bechtold, said their son would give the shirt off his back for anybody. He had a passion for the outdoors and enjoyed camping, fishing, boating, and riding four-wheelers.

On the afternoon of August 8, 2021, deputies in Indian River County responded to a 911 call about a "man down" at Justin’s home in the 4300 block of 5th Street Southwest. They arrived to find him in his driveway with a gunshot wound to the head. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The investigation soon revealed that the shooting occurred during a marijuana transaction.

Detectives determined that Justin had been buying marijuana for about a year from a man named Dukarai Lee Thomas. Investigators believed Thomas may have felt cheated from previous transactions. After the shooting, Thomas fled to the Tallahassee area. His vehicle was later found abandoned and hidden in the community of Gifford. In September 2021, authorities arrested Thomas in Tallahassee on a charge related to the drug deals, but he bonded out of jail.

The investigation continued for months. According to the sheriff, information found on social media was a significant factor that ultimately allowed detectives to secure a warrant for Thomas’s arrest for murder on April 19, 2022. The following day, U.S. Marshals located and arrested Thomas, then 24, in Tallahassee. He was charged with first-degree murder and extradited to Indian River County.

Dukarai Lee Thomas pled not guilty to the charges against him. Following a trial at the Indian River County Courthouse, a jury found him guilty on August 1, 2025, of first-degree premeditated murder, robbery, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device. On the same day, Circuit Court Judge Robert Meadows sentenced Thomas to life in prison. The case was officially closed as of August 2025.