A six-year-old home invasion case has led to the arrest of a suspect after a DNA match linked him to evidence left at the scene.
On January 19, 2019, at approximately 2:43 p.m., deputies responded to a reported home invasion in the 6000 block of NW 18th Ave. They found an 86-year-old victim with a non-life-threatening eye injury.
According to investigators, the victim was inside their home when they heard the alarm system chime and their dog barking. A masked intruder then rushed toward them, demanding money and valuables. The suspect struck the victim, causing an eye laceration, before forcing them into a closet. The victim attempted to grab a firearm, but the suspect overpowered them, took the gun, and fled the residence on a blue bicycle with the stolen wallet and weapon.
A second victim saw the suspect leaving and attempted to stop them using a mop but was unsuccessful.
Deputies later recovered a ski mask near the scene, which was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for analysis. A hair found in the mask provided a full male DNA profile, but no immediate match was found, and the case was suspended.
On March 3, 2025, authorities received a DNA notification linking the sample to Jarrod Blum, born March 1, 1977. Further investigation revealed Blum legally changed his name in 2009 to 48-year-old Jarrod Jason Benelli and was currently incarcerated in the Alachua County Jail on unrelated charges.
Detective C. Weitzel interviewed Benelli on March 5, 2025. Benelli, who had lived in Gainesville at the time of the incident, denied knowledge of the ski mask and could not explain why his hair was found in it. He then requested an attorney, ending the interview.
Benelli has been charged with Home Invasion Robbery with a Firearm, Grand Theft of a Firearm, and two counts of Battery on a Person 65 Years of Age or Older.
Authorities credited FDLE for their role in the case, which remained unsolved for over six years before the DNA match led to Benelli’s arrest.
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