TAVARES, Fla.—A Lake County grand jury has indicted Julie Sulpizio for her role in the death of one Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy and the attempted murder of two others on Aug. 2.
Sulpizio is now officially charged with principal to premeditated murder of a law enforcement officer, three counts of principal to attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, conspiracy to commit murder, battery on law enforcement officer, three counts of battery. The battery charges stem for her original altercation with neighbors.
Sulpizio has been held on no bond since her arrest Aug. 5 after she was medically cleared from AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares. She was detained since the night of the incident on a Baker Act, LCSO said earlier this month.
On Aug. 2, Sulpizio started an altercation with her neighbors on Brookside Drive in unincorporated Eustis. She attacked the neighbors and LCSO responded, and during a well-being check at her home, just down the street from the original call, Master Deputy Bradley Link was shot and suffered fatal wounds. In an immediate rescue attempt of Link, K9 Master Deputy Harold Howell was shot in the wrist and in a subsequent rescue attempt, Deputy Stefano Gargano was shot multiple times. Howell was released from the hospital and continues to recover at home; Gargano is still in the hospital and is in stable condition.
Upon entering the home, LCSO’s SWAT Team extracted Link and found Michael, and his adopted daughters, Cheyenne and Savannah Sulpizio, all dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Evidence at the scene indicated all three opened fire and ambushed the deputies.
Sheriff Peyton Grinnell revealed during Link’s Celebration of Life Service, that Link’s wife, Brittany, called her husband that tragic night and one of the assailants answered his phone and spoke to her.
Sulpizio is being held at an undisclosed detention center in the area, “That’s not uncommon in high publicity cases such as this one,” Lt. John Herrell told Inside Lake in an earlier interview.
Sulpizio charged with multiple capital crimes and could face the death penalty.
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