A man accused of killing a high school student in Seminole County could be released from jail.  Sanford Police amended Justin Seale’s original pre-meditated murder charge to felony murder on Wednesday afternoon.

Justin W. Seale was charged with one count of felony murder in the stabbing of 16-year-old Kaleb Rabun at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Stonebrook Apartments at 1000 Stonebrook Drive.

At his first appearance, a judge granted Seale a $15,000 bond after his public defender questioned why he was even arrested.

“On what evidence did he get arrested, when there are no eyewitnesses to the stabbing, even though everybody was there?” said Larry Kowel, a Seminole County public defender.

Investigators say the student stabbed to death, 16-year-old Kaleb Rabun, and two of his friends, went to Stonebrook Apartments in Sanford Tuesday afternoon to meet up with Seale. 

Witnesses tell police Rabun and his friends planned to rob Seale for cash and drugs. Police say when Rabun got into Seale’s car, the two fought and Seale stabbed Rabun in the chest. We’re told Rabun walked a few feet away and died.

“I disagree obviously with the court’s finding of probable cause, but even the court can understand here that if something happened in that car, it was more the responsibility of the three kids that were there to rob him than it is of the defendant,” said Kowel.

Sanford Police say it’s still unclear if Rabun or his two friends had weapons. They say for now, the two friends aren’t facing any charges but their investigation is ongoing. 

On Wednesday, the Seminole County school district provided grief counselors for students and staff at Seminole High School, where Rabun was a student.


Kaleb Rabun was a student at Seminole High School. (Photo by Lauren Haskell)

Lauren Haskell, Rabun mother, called her son "a beautiful soul, a gentle giant."

"Never in a million years did we see this coming," Haskell said. "Today I am grievously mourning the loss of my only child. Parents please hug, love, and keep your children close."

Police are urging all parents to talk to their children and find out if they are involved in any criminal activity – before it’s too late.

“No parent wants to talk to their children about drugs, or their interests or their friends, but they are conversations that need to be had. The consequences for their decisions could be deadly,” said Bianca Gillett, a public information officer for the Sanford Police Department.

If Seale does bond out of jail, Seale is ordered to have no weapons and he can’t return to the where the fatal stabbing took place.