TAMPA, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida judge ordered a teenager accused of murdering a prostitute, attempting to burn her body and dumping it in a vacant lot to be held without bond.
Justin Hawker appears in court during a pretrial detention hearing on Oct. 9, 2025. (Court TV)
Justin Hawker, 17, is charged with second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence in the death of Andie Morrell, 37. Morrell’s body was found decomposing in a vacant lot on Sept. 20, but investigators say she was murdered sometime between Sept. 10 and 11.
Judge Christopher Sabella granted the prosecution’s motion for pre-trial detention following a hearing on Thursday, finding that the serious nature of the crime and weight of the evidence merited Hawker being held without bond, despite his young age.
Morrell’s body was found on Sept. 19 by a team of landscapers hired to cut grass in the vacant lot. Her decomposing body had been wrapped in duct tape. Surveillance video from the area showed a black vehicle pull up to the vacant lot and a person drag something out of the backseat onto the ground. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Detective Joseph Koehler testified at Thursday’s hearing that officers identified the defendant as the driver. A grainy video was shown at the hearing, which Koehler said showed Hawker attempting to light the victim’s body on fire twice before leaving the scene. The car, later determined to be stolen, was found after it crashed into a median and became inoperable.
Investigators quickly determined that the victim’s phone was last active at Hawker’s residence. Hawker was initially uncooperative with deputies and told them that on the night of Sept. 10, he had gone to a neighborhood park and fallen asleep on a slide while looking at stars.
Hours later, Hawker placed a 911 call and told the dispatcher that he had been involved in a homicide. The call was played in court during the hearing.
Hawker: “I was involved with a homicide. … I’m willing to cooperate and I’d like to talk to a lawyer.”
Dispatcher: “You committed a homicide?”
Hawker: “Yes, ma’am.”
When officers searched Hawker’s home, they found large bleach stains on the floor and areas that gave a presumptive positive for human blood. When detectives interviewed Hawker’s 15-year-old girlfriend, she said that Hawker admitted to hiring a prostitute on Sept. 10. When the prostitute, identified as Morrell, arrived at Hawker’s home, he said she asked for money. When he returned after retrieving it, Hawker told his girlfriend that an unknown man was standing behind Morrell. Feeling threatened, Hawker said he opened fire, hitting and killing Morrell and causing the unknown man to flee.
No other charges have been filed in the case, though Koehler said the investigation into the murder is ongoing.
