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Jury selection begins for Palm Beach County brother, sister accused of killing Broward County man in 2021

Sophia Valdez and Luis Valdez accused of killing Jaytwan McNeal
Jaytwan McNeal, missing man killed by Sophia and Luis Valdez
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Palm Beach County woman and her brother are on trial in the fatal shooting of a Broward County man nearly two years ago.

Jury selection for Sophia Valdez and her brother Luis Valdez began Monday in a Palm Beach County courtroom.

The sister-brother duo is accused of killing Jaytwan McNeal, 23, in September 2021.

McNeal was reported missing Sept. 25, 2021, four days after he was last seen on surveillance video walking away from his apartment complex in Oakland Park.

Judge Howard K. Coates, Jr., oversees jury selection for the trial of Sophia and Luis Valdez on July 24, 2023.
Judge Howard K. Coates, Jr., oversees jury selection for the trial of Sophia and Luis Valdez on July 24, 2023.

A tipster later told the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office that McNeal traveled north to Palm Beach County to meet with Sophia Valdez, a longtime friend and schoolmate.

The tipster claimed Valdez's older brother, Luis Valdez, shot and killed McNeal, wrapped his body in a blue tarp, loaded it into Sophia Valdez's car and then discarded it in a dumpster.

The siblings face charges including first-degree murder.

The trial will take place in West Palm Beach.

If you have any information regarding the 2007 crimes with ties to the Town Center at Boca Raton, call Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County at 800-458-TIPS. Tipsters could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. You can remain anonymous.

You can also contact the detectives assigned to these cold cases using the information below:

Detective Scott Hanley
Boca Raton Police Department
shanley@myboca.us
561-338-1344

Detective William Springer
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office
springerw@pbso.org
561-688-4013