Lions’ Terrion Arnold tied to robbery, kidnapping in court order
Terrion Arnold’s name appears in a Hillsborough County court order that links him to an alleged armed robbery and kidnapping in Tampa, Fla., after an Airbnb he had rented was burglarized twice. The documents, and statements from attorneys and police, set out how prosecutors say the incident unfolded and why a co-defendant is being held without bond.
Judge J. Logan Murphy’s Feb. 24 order details pretrial detention for Boakai Eugene Hilton
In a seven-page order filed Feb. 24 in Hillsborough County Circuit Court, Circuit Judge J. Logan Murphy granted the state’s motion to hold Boakai Eugene Hilton, 23, without bond. Hilton faces three counts of kidnapping to harm or terrorize and three counts of robbery with a firearm, each charged as a first-degree felony punishable by life in prison. Hilton pleaded not guilty at the hearing cited in the order.
Allegations link Terrion Arnold to retaliation after Largo Airbnb burglaries
The order says the Airbnb in Largo, Fla., that Arnold had rented was burglarized twice, and that items reported stolen included $100, 000 in cash, an $80, 000 necklace, designer bags and a cellphone issued to Arnold by the NFL. Judge Murphy wrote that Arnold suspected his hired private driver, Yan Lopez, of involvement in the burglaries, and that, rather than relying only on law enforcement, "Arnold and his friends decided to take matters into their own hands. " Text messages in the court file are described as showing Hilton "orchestrates the ambush" while traveling with Arnold back from Tallahassee, Fla.
Names and sequence: who was at the Tampa apartment on Feb. 4
The court order recounts that Daniel Tenesaca, Soljah Anderson and Yan Lopez were the three victims of the alleged Feb. 4 robbery and kidnapping in Tampa. the order, Tenesaca and Anderson went to a third-floor apartment while Lopez waited in a car. Arianna Del Valle let the men into the apartment and told them that Jasmine Randazzo was not home. When Tenesaca began looking around and opened a bedroom closet, Lyndell Hudson and Christion Williams confronted him at gunpoint.
Victims held, beaten and pistol-whipped; property seized
Murphy’s written findings state the victims were held in a bedroom for about an hour, interrogated, beaten and pistol-whipped. Lopez later entered the apartment, was pistol-whipped and taken to the bedroom. The order says one co-defendant placed the barrel of a firearm in Lopez’s mouth while demanding the return of the stolen property and Arnold’s phone. Before the victims were released, their phones and wallets were taken. The order also says there is no evidence the victims were involved in the Airbnb thefts.
Text messages, FaceTime instructions and alleged orchestration by Hilton
The judge wrote that Hilton appeared to orchestrate the attack through text messages and a group chat, asking whether a co-defendant had a gun and instructing Del Valle to video the encounter on FaceTime so he could see and hear what was happening. Texts cited in the order included directions to seize the victims’ phones and keep them in a bedroom corner until "terrion [a]nd Boakai [Hilton] and Fredo" arrived at the apartment complex. The order says Hilton later arrived and was identified by one of the victims as they were escorted out.
Responses from Arnold’s lawyer, the Lions and Largo police
Online court and police records cited in the filings show Terrion Arnold, 22, has not been arrested or charged in the matter. R. Timothy Jansen, a lawyer for Arnold, issued a statement saying, "To be clear, Mr. Arnold had no involvement whatsoever in the activities that led to those arrests. He did not participate in, nor was he present for, any conduct related to the alleged offenses. There is no evidence in police reports, text messages, or witness statements that implicates Mr. Arnold in any way. " In that statement Jansen also said the court order incorrectly identified Arianna Del Valle as Arnold’s girlfriend.
The Lions said they could not comment on an ongoing legal matter. A spokesperson with the Largo Police Department said Arnold called the police station at 10 p. m. on Feb. 3 to file a police report about the stolen money and items; the alleged robbery and kidnapping of Tenesaca, Anderson and Lopez then happened about two hours later on Feb. 4 in Tampa.
Additional context in the court file and public record
The order notes that text messages and victim statements were presented at the Feb. 24 pretrial detention hearing. It cites evidence the judge described as consistent across the messages and victims’ accounts, and concludes that Hilton appears to have organized the kidnapping, beating and robbery of the three victims in retribution for the burglaries at the Largo Airbnb. The file identifies Arnold as a 2024 first-round pick out of Alabama who has started 22 of 24 games for Detroit.
A published item listing the matter also names Ken Haddad as Manager, Coverage and Content, and a photograph credit in the related record names Junfu Han.
