Detroit Lions player Terrion Arnold linked to kidnapping and robbery plot over Airbnb burglary
Terrion Arnold in 2025 in Green Bay, Wis. Todd Rosenberg / Getty Images
A Detroit Lions cornerback has been linked to a scheme to carry out “vigilante justice” against a chauffeur and two others he suspected of burglarizing the Airbnb where he was staying in Florida, according to court records. While Terrion Arnold is not facing charges, his friend Boakai Eugene Hilton is accused of orchestrating the plan, Hillsborough County Circuit Court Judge J. Logan Murphy wrote in a seven-page order filed Tuesday.
“Hilton appears to be the quarterback calling the play,” Murphy wrote. “Hilton orchestrates the ambush.”
The judge granted the state’s motion for Hilton’s pretrial detention. He faces three charges of kidnapping to harm or terrorize and three counts of robbery with a firearm, each a first-degree felony carrying a potential life sentence under Florida law.
Hilton, 23, was arrested on February 17 and remains in the Hillsborough County Jail. It is unclear whether he has legal representation.
Arnold, 22, was the Lions’ first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and signed a four-year, $14.34 million contract that year. During his rookie season, he wore jersey number 0.
Representatives for Arnold and the Detroit Lions have not immediately responded to requests for comment. In a statement to TMZ, Arnold’s lawyer denied any involvement.
“He did not participate in, nor was he present for, any conduct related to the alleged offenses,” the statement said. “There is no evidence in police reports, text messages, or witness statements that implicates Mr. Arnold in any way.”
According to the judge’s order, Arnold had hired a chauffeur to drive him and his friends to and from an Airbnb in Largo, north of St. Petersburg, Florida. The chauffeur introduced Arnold to a friend who aspired to be a “celebrity barber.”
During the time Arnold and his friends stayed at the rental, it was reportedly burglarized twice, with losses including $100,000 in cash, an $80,000 necklace, designer bags, and an NFL-issued cell phone, the order states. Arnold filed a police report with the Largo Police Department on February 3.
Murphy wrote that Arnold suspected the chauffeur might have been involved in the thefts. Despite reporting the incidents to police, Arnold and his friends allegedly decided to take matters into their own hands.
The judge said Hilton organized the alleged scheme through text messages and a group chat, asking Arnold’s 18-year-old girlfriend, Arianna Del Valle, to record the confrontation via FaceTime. Messages also show Del Valle urging another woman, Jasmine Randazzo, to lure the barber to her Tampa apartment in exchange for payment.
When the barber arrived with a friend, the chauffeur waited outside in a car. Arnold’s girlfriend and two of his friends, identified as Lyndell Hudson and Christion Williams, were reportedly armed. According to the court order, the victims were interrogated, beaten, and pistol-whipped for nearly an hour. The chauffeur was also assaulted and forced into the bedroom. One of Arnold’s friends allegedly pointed a firearm at the chauffeur’s mouth, demanding the return of stolen items.
Murphy noted that the co-defendants confiscated the victims’ phones and wallets, claiming it was to pressure them to admit to theft, although there is no evidence any of the victims were involved.
Hudson, 25, and Williams, 24, are held in Hillsborough County Jail, facing armed robbery and kidnapping charges. Del Valle, 18, and Randazzo, 19, were also charged and jailed. Legal representation for all four is currently unclear.
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