“It’s devastating,” Family of murdered Winter Garden Engineer seeks closure 6 years later

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — The daughter of a Winter Garden man who was murdered about six years ago is hopeful her father’s killers will soon face justice.

61-year-old Michael Kotait was murdered in November 2019.

For years, the family went without answers until 26-year-old Darrell Bogle was arrested Monday on a warrant for “Murder while engaged in a robbery.”

Investigators say Bogle did not act alone, and the case remains active as investigators work toward new arrests.

The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said they were conducting surveillance at the Mark at Wildwood apartments, looking for Bogle when he was taken into custody Monday.

Deputies said they found a significant amount of narcotics and other contraband in Bogle’s vehicle at the time of his arrest.

While the arrest was a relief for the victim’s family, they are now begging the community for information that can lead to the arrest of Kotait’s other suspected killers.

“It’s devastating. You don’t get to grieve. You don’t to move on,” said Kotait’s daughter, Randa Paul, “We know that people know what happened and they’re not talking.”

Paul told Channel 9 her father was driving to visit her when he stopped in Wildwood, was robbed, and murdered.

“These people involved killed my dad because they thought that they had the right to just rob him,” said Paul, “the justice for me is for these people to be held accountable.”

Paul told Channel 9 that she has stayed in close contact with Sumter County investigators for nearly six years as they worked on the case.

During that time, she says she has tried to keep her father’s memory alive.

“I have really worked hard to make my dad a person, you know to humanize him,” said Paul.

She remembers Kotait as a family man and a mechanical engineer who worked on several prominent projects across the state, including working on the Daytona International Speedway, the Marlins stadium, and the Orlando International Airport.

“He made everyone that he had contact with feel like they were the most special person in the world,” said Paul.

Kotait’s family is asking anyone with information about the case to contact investigators or Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.

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