Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold’s name was at the center of a text exchange planning an alleged armed robbery and kidnapping on Feb. 4 in Tampa, according to court documents obtained by The Detroit News.
Text messages in the possession of the Florida State Attorney’s office, referenced in the case against what is now six co-defendants, reveal Arnold’s name in the planning of the incident.
Arnold’s name first came up in a Feb. 24 order from Hillsborough County Circuit Judge J. Logan Murphy that granted the state’s motion for pretrial detention against Boakai Hilton, one of the defendants arrested following the incident.
Arnold has not been charged in the matter, nor is he a recipient or sender of the text messages in question, which were obtained on Thursday by The News via an open records request with the state attorney’s office.
The order from Judge Murphy stated that the armed robbery and kidnappings against three victims were the direct result of “Arnold and his friends” deciding to “take matters into their own hands” after Arnold reported thefts at his rental home in Largo, Florida. The thefts included high-end bags, guns, jewelry, a cell phone and $100,000 in cash, according to a report filed by Arnold with the Largo Police Department on Feb. 3.
The text messages show that on the morning of Feb. 3, the same day that Arnold filed a police report, co-defendant Arianna Del Valle instructed another co-defendant, Jasmine Randazzo, to invite one of the victims to her house at Arnold’s direction.
“That’s what Terrion said,” Del Valle follows up.
Shortly after Randazzo agrees to take part in the scheme, she asks Del Valle who she’s with. “Terrion,” Del Valle said via text. Later, when Randazzo asks why she’s being asked to lure him to the specific location, Del Valle says, “they tryna set him up.” Del Valle then follows up, “nd he tryna pay us for it,” explaining that the victims “stole all the rest of their” stuff.
Throughout the conversation on Feb. 3, which carries over into the afternoon, Randazzo continues seeking guidance from Del Valle on how to invite the victim to her house without raising suspicion, asking her what she should say in certain parts of the conversation. After some back-and-forth regarding one strategy, Randazzo appears to tell Del Valle to “ask terrion” if she should send the text. “he said yea,” Del Valle responded.
After Randazzo appears to finish sending the invite to one of the victims, she asks Del Valle, “is that it.” Del Valle says yes and adds, “im scared i hope they dont kill em.”
“Perhaps we delete these messages,” Randazzo responds.
Later in the day, after 8 p.m., Randazzo again asks Del Valle what she should say to continue luring one of the victims over. “be like i just woke up”, Del Valle says. “terrion said answerr.”
The communication between Randazzo and Del Valle pauses at 9:56 p.m. on Feb. 3 and resumes at 12:35 a.m. on Feb. 4.
According to Murphy’s order, two victims arrived at the house and were greeted by Del Valle, who told them Randazzo was not there. They began searching the home for Randazzo, thinking Del Valle’s words were a joke.
Upon opening a closet door in the bedroom, defendants Lyndell Hudson and Christian Hudson jumped out, both of them holding weapons, according to the court documents. Murphy’s order said that they “took Tenesaca and Anderson hostage in the bedroom, interrogating, beating and pistol-whipping them for the better part of an hour.”
A third alleged victim, Yan Lopez, grew suspicious of the wait and entered the apartment. He was immediately pistol-whipped and taken into the bedroom to also be held hostage, according to the order from Judge Murphy. At this point, Del Valle began sharing the interaction on FaceTime to broadcast the interactions, the court documents said.
At 12:44 a.m. on Feb. 4, Randazzo asks Del Valle, “what are we waiting on.”
Del Valle responds, “terrion [a]nd boakai and freedo … to walk in here.” Del Valle adds that Arnold, Hilton, and another defendant are coming from Tallahassee. Randazzo asks what will happen if the victims return to the apartment, to which Del Valle responds, “honestly i think terrion gonna handle that when he get there.”
After 10 a.m. on Feb. 4, Randazzo tells Del Valle to get her the money she’s owed for her part in the operation. “im not even w terrion,” Randazzo responds, adding that Arnold “took a flight this morning.”
Arnold’s attorney, R. Timothy Jansen, responded in a statement provided to The News on Thursday: “We have not yet been provided with the text messages in question, and it would be inappropriate to comment on isolated excerpts without first reviewing them in their full context.
“We are aware that law enforcement has conducted an extensive investigation, as reflected in the 49-page criminal information. Notably, our client has not been charged, and based on the evidence currently known, we do not anticipate that any charges will be brought against him.
“Any suggestion of involvement appears to rest solely on the fact that our client is acquainted with certain individuals connected to this matter. Mere association does not constitute participation in criminal activity. Importantly, there is no evidence, nor any witness testimony, indicating that our client had any involvement.”
The Lions declined to comment on the matter Thursday. Earlier this week, Lions general manager Brad Holmes was asked on an episode of Lions Collective about the allegations against Arnold. “You control what you can control. You’re aware of everything. That’s really about the most I can say about that,” Holmes said.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lions’ Terrion Arnold’s name appears in alleged robbery plot texts
Reporting by Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
