Former Florida State wide receiver Travis Rudolph was arrested on Wednesday on two murder charges, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Wednesday.
According to police, Rudolph, 25, has been charged with first-degree murder with a firearm and attempted first-degree murder with a firearm. He was arrested after authorities responded to a double shooting in Lake Park in Palm Beach County, where one victim was found dead and another was taken to the hospital.
In 2016, Rudolph went viral with an act of kindness. While visiting a middle school in Tallahassee, Florida, Rudolph befriended a young boy with autism, Bo Paske, who was sitting in the cafeteria eating alone. He then developed a relationship with the Paske family.
Rudolph was a blue-chip prospect coming out of Cardinal Newman in West Palm Beach, ranked as the No. 6 wide receiver and No. 43 overall prospect in the 2014 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite. He made an instant impact as a freshman in 2014 and was the team's leading receiver in both 2015 and 2016, totaling more than 800 yards and seven receiving touchdowns in both seasons.
He declared for the NFL Draft after the 2016 season. Rudolph was not selected but signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent. He appeared in just seven games over two seasons, totaling eight catches for a combined 101 yards. His time the NFL appeared to end in 2018 after tearing his ACL as a member of the Miami Dolphins practice squad, and his most recent professional football association was a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.
