Suspect in double murder at resort arrested after 8 years

MIAMI BEACH, FL – Nearly a decade after a chilling double homicide at a luxury beach resort, authorities have finally apprehended the last suspect in a complex case that has haunted investigators for years.

The breakthrough came when detectives in Miami Beach connected recent evidence to the unsolved murders of two hotel employees at the Zone Beach Resort in Longboat Key. The investigation had stalled until a new crime, involving the same suspect, reignited the pursuit for justice.

In the summer of 2017, two hotel workers were found dead, executed during an armed robbery. The alleged shooter, Damian Garvin, a career criminal, managed to evade capture until now. Garvin was already serving time for an unrelated crime in South Florida when investigators linked him to the cold case.

Detectives charged Garvin with first-degree murder after discovering his involvement in a 2020 shooting outside a North Miami Beach convenience store. The incident provided a crucial connection, as it involved a weapon tied to the Longboat Key murders.

Law enforcement databases revealed Garvin’s arrest in Miami, which led investigators to unravel his role in the earlier crime. They found that Garvin did not act alone; Daryl Hannah Jr., a former security guard at the resort, was implicated in planning the robbery, and his twin sister, Latoya, drove the getaway vehicle.

A fourth suspect, also involved in the setup, passed away from natural causes before charges could be filed. Latoya’s gun, used in the Miami-Dade shooting, was identified as the murder weapon in the Longboat Key case, confirmed by ballistics tests conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Garvin was serving a 10-year sentence set to end in 2030. The resolution of this case brings a sense of closure to the victims’ families and the Longboat Key community, who have waited years for justice.