Paul Bruce Crane
Auburndale, Florida – According to to Auburndale Police a gun was at the scene of a deadly stabbing last Thursday in Auburndale. The gun however was removed and allegedly hidden under the seat of a car before police arrived. The incident took place September 26, 2013. The original story told to police is that three friends were driving in Auburndale and went to 412 Pine Street for allegedly an unknown reason. The victim, Diamond Charles Basnaw, got out of the vehicle and was walking up to the house when the suspect came running out of the house with a kitchen type knife and attacked the victim, knocking him to the ground eventually stabbing him. The friends put the victim in their vehicle, a blue Ford Explorer and came to the police department seeking help. Basnaw succumbed to his injuries and died before he made it to a hospital. The suspect in the stabbing, Joshua Matthew Casey, was initially arrested by police shortly after the stabbing. After being interviewed the state attorney’s office and Auburndale Police Department released Casey until further sequences of events could be determined. The other two friends that went to the home of Casey with Brasnaw are Paul Bruce Crane and Matthew F Sweeting.
It has been several days since Brasnaw’s death and police are slowly unraveling what happened. To this point witnesses are still being interviewed and details are still being obtained. An arrest in the case and a key piece of information and evidence has been obtained. Paul Bruce Crane the driver of the vehicle that brought the three friends to Casey’s house was arrested after it was determined that he allegedly removed a gun from the scene of the stabbing. According to Auburndale Police spokesperson Thrashy Tucker, the gun may have been brought to the scene by one of the three friends. It is unknown at this time if Basnaw was in possession of the weapon at anytime during the incident. According to police Crane allegedly admitted to removing the gun and the clip that fell out of it during the incident, and hide the weapon under the seat of the car.
Crane has been released on bond and the investigation is ongoing. Casey still has not been charged with Basnaw’s death.