Three men from Broward County, Florida, are staring down the barrel of potential life sentences or the death penalty after being indicted by a federal grand jury on a slew of charges, including murder for hire, kidnapping, and obstruction of justice, in connection to the death of a Miami-Dade resident, authorities announced yesterday.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, suspects Avin Seetaram, 24, Somjeet Christopher Singh, 29, and Gavin Hunter, 18, are implicated in the disappearance and subsequent murder of Suren Seetal, last seen on November 2 — his body was found weeks later in the Big Cypress Reservation. The indictment alleges that after leaving work on the day he vanished, Seetal’s phone pinged near Singh’s air conditioning business before cutting out, signaling the ominous silence that would follow until his remains were discovered on November 21.
Seetaram, known as "Smalls," will face a judge for his arraignment on December 28, while hearings for Hunter and Singh are scheduled for January 2 and January 3, 2024, respectively. The charges stem from a joint investigation that involved multiple law enforcement agencies, from FBI Miami to local police departments, with U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri, and other officials.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abbie Waxman and Sara Klco are leading the prosecution, which falls under the Southern District of Florida’s Violence Reduction Partnership initiative, a concerted push by the federal and local agencies to dismantle the violent criminal networks that inflict havoc upon the community's most vulnerable. The initiative aims to reduce violent crime, narcotics trafficking, gang activity, and firearms offenses by prosecuting offenders but also through proactive involvement with community leaders and non-profit entities to establish preventative measures designed to help those at risk.
The authorities encourage anyone with relevant information to dial the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online, requesting that their privacy be honored. Although an indictment has been issued, it contains allegations, not convictions, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, as the legal process has yet to unfold fully.
