LEESBURG, Florida—Leesburg Police Department and the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office has charged a man in the murder of a Leesburg woman earlier this month, according to LPD Capt. Joe Iozzi.
Alphonza Bryant, 40, also of Leesburg, is facing three charges, including first degree murder, armed burglary and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
Bryant has been in the Lake County Jail since Aug. 10—two days after the murder—for a violation of probation stemming from a battery case in April. On Aug. 8, LPD responded to a home on Penn Street after someone reported that they believed their friend, Melissa K. Smith, 37, was dead.
Officers found Smith’s body in a converted laundry room, and she had been shot, Iozzi said earlier this month. Detectives are still gathering evidence, but they do not believe any other suspects are involved, according to Iozzi.
“We hope these charges allow for some level of healing and relief for the family and friends of Ms. Smith,” Iozzi said. “We would especially like to thank our community for their assistance with this investigation.”
