Cousin of Boy Killed in 1994 Not Surprised by Ronnie Hyde's Arrest

News4Jax
March 9, 2017

http://www.news4jax.com/news/cousin-of-boy-killed-in1994-not-surprised-by-ronnie-hydes-arrest

A cousin of Fred Laster, the 16-year-old whose dismembered remains were found 23 years ago outside a Lake City gas station, said he is not one bit surprised that Ronnie Hyde was charged with killing the boy.

"I've always from Day 1 blamed him," John Kirkland said. "I never said he killed him, but I said he knew what happened to him."

Kirkland said there were five siblings in the Laster family and that he lived next to them in Yulee. Family members told News4Jax Fred was one of six children being raised by elderly grandparents living on Social Security after their mother died of cancer and their father left the family.

"My grandma passed away brokenhearted," Kirkland said. "She died on her deathbed saying she wanted Freddy."

Fred Laster's immediate family has asked for privacy, issuing a statement Wednesday saying they "have gathered together at this time to support each other as we experience the intense emotions caused by the heartbreaking loss of 'Freddy' and the arrest of his killer."

Hyde, who Kirkland called Ron, was a youth pastor at the Oceanway church that the Laster family attended in the early 1990s. Kirkland said Hyde always wanted to hang out with the young boys -- never the girls. He also tried to be with the boys one-on-one, never in a group.

Kirkland said he was close with his younger cousin, who he called Freddy. He said they all met Hyde through the Strength for Living Church. He said a Christian rock band kept a tour bus parked behind the church and that Hyde would stay there, sometimes inviting children there.

Kirkland said Hyde originally formed a relationship with Fred's older brother, but when that boy left to join the Coast Guard, Hyde focused on Fred. He says with both brothers, Hyde would take them on expensive weekend getaways, and that they would return with gifts. Kirkland said none of the other children in the family ever got any of those nice things -- one of the many reasons he suspected Hyde was up to something.

"He would take them to the 'Star Trek' convention. He would buy him suits and dress up at all these costumes," Kirkland said. "You know the kids in the family were poor. They had no money. He would come home over the weekend and have all this luxury stuff -- $500 outfits, all these toys nobody else had. (Fred) said, 'Oh, Ron bought me all this to try to do good for me.'"

Kirkland said he was about 21 years old and the time and knew better than to get involved with Hyde. He said he would question Hyde about the relationship he had with Fred and his brother and that Hyde would shut him out.

Kirkland said if he could ask Hyde a question, it would be "why?"

"He wasn't a John Doe. He was somebody's brother or somebody's sister, cousin, uncle," Kirkland said.

Kirkland said the family is reeling with the events of the last 48 hours, but it is a step toward closure.

"I know people say 23 years is a long time, but I can say, you never forget. He's always in your mind," Kirkland said. "You still think about it. You think about what could've been. He could've had children. He could've been a father, had a wife. All that was robbed and he was thrown away in the back of a dumpster like a piece of nobody but he was somebody."

A law enforcement expert who was working with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office when Laster went missing in 1994 said that the scenario in which the Laster siblings met Hyde is a classic situation for child predators.

“Often those who are victims are victims because they don't have solid, true family connections,” Greg DiFranza said.

Now the FBI is hoping a flier will help determine if there are more child exploitation victims of Hyde in Jacksonville or elsewhere.