LEESBURG, Fla.—Leesburg Police Department has identified the man shot and killed Friday night.
Around 7 p.m., Dontae D. Copeland, 20, of Leesburg was found suffering from at least one gunshot wound in the 1000 block of Tuskegee Street, LPD Lt. Shannon Walsh said. Officers and EMS personnel rendered aid to Copeland, and he was transported to UF Health Leesburg Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
While investigating the murder Friday, Kameryn Pickard, 18, of Mount Dora, turned himself in with his father at LPD, Walsh said. He was later arrested for premeditated murder and conspiracy – solicit, and is being held at the Lake County Jail on no bond.
EUSTIS, Fla.—The community is scheduled to come together Friday night to remember Monica Islam, the woman who was found murdered near Mount Dora last week.
Islam, 44, was found shot to death near Scenic Hills Drive and Wolf Branch around 7:30 a.m. May 2 after vanishing from Shell, 1701 South Bay Street, Eustis approximately 6:10 a.m. the same morning.
According to the missing person report obtained by Inside Lake, Islam’s daughter, Rimi Islam, reported her mother missing around 8:30 a.m. Friday. She told Eustis Police Department they left their home around 5:30 a.m. and arrived at Shell shortly after. She said her mom helped her with opening the store and then she went outside to take a walk around the parking lot, which was normal behavior. Rimi Islam told police she got busy and lost track of where her mom was. Another employee told Rimi Islam she saw Monica Islam in the parking lot as she arrived at work, around 6:10 a.m. Rimi Islam tried calling her mom, who had left her purse behind at the store, and was unable to reach her. After going back to the home they shared and looking for Monica Islam and checking security cameras for her with no success, Rimi Islam reported her missing to EPD.
While investigating Monica’s disappearance, EPD was made aware of a body found near Mount Dora; later identified as Monica Islam. LCSO has been tight-lipped about its investigation, releasing very little information over the past week. LCSO Cpl. Chanel Martin said detectives do not believe Monica Islam’s murder was a random act, and said earlier this week, they were following up on potential leads.
A large photo of Monica Islam is posted on the window next to the front door of Shell, asking anyone with information to call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
A photo of Monica Islam posted next to the front door of Shell, 1701 South Bay Street, Eustis. PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake
The candlelight vigil, organized in-part by family friend, Alisha Curtin, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Shell, 1701 South Bay Street, Eustis. Overflow parking is available across Bay Street from Shell at First Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 1724 South Bay Street, Eustis; parking will not be available at Harden-Pauli Funeral Home, 1617 South Bay Street due to a previously scheduled, unrelated service.
“This (candlelight vigil) is not being organized by just one person,” Curtin told Inside Lake. “There is a village of people that are contributing to the memory of Monica, including local businesses, such as Publix.”
Amanda Hall, a Lake County native who works nearby, has also assisted with planning the candlelight vigil. Hall lost her own mother three years ago and knows the pain of losing a parent all too well. “(I know how Rimi feels) right now…lost without Mommy.”
Hall said the tight-knit community of Eustis wants “justice for Monica and our hearts and prayers are with Rimi.”
“When something like this happens in our community, we here in Eustis show our support and gather round the ones that need us most,” Curtin said. “A good person was taken from this Earth, and an amazing friend lost her best friend and mother. This is being organized to show our love and kindness throughout this community.”
MOUNT DORA, Fla.—The woman found dead Friday was shot to death and detectives believe it was not a “random act,” according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the area of Scenic Hills Drive and Wolf Branch Road Friday morning after someone reported they found a woman’s body. Deputies responded and found the woman, later identified as Monica Islam, 44, who was reported missing from Eustis, Eustis Police Department Chief Craig Capri told Inside Lake Friday.
According to the missing person report obtained by Inside Lake, Islam’s daughter, Rimi Islam, reported her mother missing around 8:30 a.m. Friday. She told EPD they left their home around 5:30 a.m. and arrived at Shell, 1701 South Bay Street, shortly after. She said her mom helped her with opening the store and then she walked outside to take a walk around the parking lot, which was normal behavior.
Rimi Islam said she got busy and lost track of where her mom was and asked another employee if she had seen her, the report states. The employee said she saw Monica Islam walking in the parking lot as she arrived at work, around 6:10 a.m. Rimi Islam tried calling her mom and was unable to reach her, and she went home to look for her. After checking her security cameras, she confirmed Monica Islam did not go back home. She called her mom multiple times, and was unable to reach her, so she called police.
EPD canvassed the area looking for Monica Islam and and went to the home she shares with her daughter. After officers were unable to find her, she was entered as a missing person and a BOLO (be on the lookout) was generated in an effort to find her.
An EPD officer soon spoke with an LCSO sergeant who said they were working a case involving a deceased female found on the roadside. The sergeant gave EPD details that matched the description of Monica Islam and LCSO responded to Islam’s home, along with EPD detectives, to speak with her daughter. The body was positively identified as Monica Islam later the same day.
An autopsy was performed by the Medical Examiner’s Office, and on Tuesday, LCSO Cpl. Chanel Martin said Monica Islam’s cause of death was a gunshot wound, and the manner of death is homicide.
“Detectives believe that this was not a random act, and we expect to release additional details as they continue to follow up on potential leads” Martin said.
If you have information on Islam’s murder, call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
TAVARES, Fla.—Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Stefano Gargano returned to temporary light duty Monday, a little more than nine months after he was shot multiple times.
On Aug. 2, 2024, Gargano was shot, suffering traumatic injuries, during a rescue attempt of Master Deputy Bradley Link. Link and K9 Master Deputy Harold Howell, along with several other deputies, were performing a well-being check at the home Julie and Michael Sulpizio shared with their adult daughters, Savannah and Cheyenne Sulpizio, located 38144 Brookside Drive in unincorporated Eustis, following a Baker Act of Julie Sulpizio. After finding two dead dogs in the yard, a window with a broken screen and multiple announcements made by Link over his PA system, shortly after 9 p.m., Link, Howell and three other deputies attempted to enter the Sulpizio home. They entered through the rear door near the driveway that opens to a small laundry room and leads into a hallway that goes left and right.
Link approached the hallway and announced he was going left and indicated Howell should go right. As Link walked into the hallway, his bodycam picked up several frames of what appeared to be a male wearing a black shirt or body armor, with a rifle, positioned on the arm of a couch, ready to ambush deputies. Link did not see the man because he was looking left down the hallway, and the bodycam was facing forward, Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said last year.
Link entered the hallway and the suspect, believed to be Michael Sulpizio, opened fire, shooting Link in the back several times, and Howell was shot in the arm. Howell and the other deputies were forced to retreat out of the residence and Link was immobilized, suffering multiple gunshot wounds. He attempted to crawl on his back to cover but was unsuccessful. Link emptied his duty weapon of all rounds, Grinnell said, and moved his hand in what appeared to be an attempt to answer his radio as his ID number was called out but was also unsuccessful. He was shot several more times.
Link’s bodycam continued to record audio and video and was pointed toward the ceiling, and at 9:24 p.m., a female yelled, “My king kill all of you. You are Lucifer’s children,” in response to deputies asking for Link’s release.
Two minutes later the Street Crimes team, comprised of Deputy Corey LaBrecque, Deputy Matthew Green, Cpl. Tyler Palmer and Gargano entered the home, with Gargano in the lead with a ballistic shield as cover. It was later revealed Gargano insisted he go first because he was the only member of the team who did not have children. As he approached the threshold of the hallway, Gargano was shot through the wall multiple times, by high-caliber rounds, causing him to become incapacitated. The team returned fire and extracted Gargano. LaBrecque immediately began assessing and treating Gargano’s injuries, and accompanied Gargano in the ambulance as he was transported to HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital as a trauma alert.
Just after 11 p.m. deputies heard two rapid gunshots and a third shot a few minutes later and LCSO’s SWAT Team ripped a wall off the residence and extracted Link. He was rushed to a waiting ambulance for transport to a landing zone so he could be flown out for treatment. While en route, the decision was made to transport him to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, where he was ultimately pronounced deceased.
As the SWAT Team cleared the home, they found two deceased females on the couch, dead from what appeared to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the head. Michael Sulpizio was found on the couch with a gunshot wound and a faint pulse. He was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.
A search of the home revealed a stockpile of 20 firearms placed strategically around the home. Ammunition, food and water, medical bags and bugout bags, in addition to anti-government propaganda were also found. No illegal drugs were found in the home.
Top: Deputy Stefano Gargano; Deputy Corey LaBrecque Bottom: Deputy Matthew Green; Cpl. Tyler Palmer PHOTOS: Lake County Sheriff’s Office
In March, the Street Crimes team and Howell, along with many others, were honored by LCSO for their actions that tragic evening. Gargano, LaBrecque, Green and Palmer were each awarded the Medal of Honor; LaBrecque was awarded the Lifesaving Medal, Howell was awarded the Medal of Valor; and both Gargano and Howell were awarded the Purple Heart, at the ceremony in Leesburg. The three deputies who entered the home with Link and Howell, Master Deputy Christopher Kessinger, Deputy Stephen Snow, and Sgt. Christopher Stevens, were each awarded the Medal of Valor. Link was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Gargano returned to temporary light duty Monday and Howell continues to recover from his injuries.
TAVARES, Fla.—Hundreds of people flooded downtown Tavares Saturday night to join Xavier Williams’ family to celebrate his life at a candlelight vigil held in his honor.
Xavier died March 21 after fighting for his life for nearly a month before succumbing to injuries police say his mother and her boyfriend inflicted on him.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chaplain Joshua Douglas opened the vigil and shared a few stories about Xavier and the boy he was. A natural talent for understanding electronics, Douglas told attendees about a broken iPad that stumped both Apple and Verizon, but Xavier saved the day and fixed it, along with a television no one could figure out either.
PHOTO: Bonnie Whicher/Inside Lake
Douglas said Xavier was his “brother’s keeper,” and his “heart was beyond his years.” Xavier had a deep love for God, taking his bible with him different places and creating a bible study group through text messaging.
Tears streamed from the faces of attendees who held burning candles and lit cell phones as local resident Brian Hetrick led the crowd in a rendition of Amazing Grace.
PHOTO: Bonnie Whicher/Inside Lake
Xavier’s aunt, Cameil Williams, choking back tears, spoke on behalf of the family and thanked everyone involved in the case, “Thank you. There are so many people who have supported our family during this time.”
She thanked medical providers and the Department of Children and Families; and expressed the family’s gratitude for the support and comfort they received from Tavares Police Department and the State Attorney’s Office for words of encouragement and ensuring Xavier gets justice. She thanked the community for their support and for “grieving with us.” As Cameil made her way back to her seat, Xavier’s dad, Keniel, jumped from his seat and embraced his sister in a moment that was heartbreakingly beautiful.
If you would like to support the Williams family, click here.
TAVARES, Fla.— The family of Xavier Williams and community members are scheduled to gather tonight to honor and celebrate the life of Xavier, the boy police say was savagely abused and murdered by his mother and her boyfriend.
A candlelight vigil is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Wooton Park in downtown Tavares and attendees are encouraged to wear blue – Xavier’s favorite color. Parking is available at the Parking Garage, 200 North Sinclair Avenue.
“Xavier’s family warmly invites everyone in our community to join them in this moment of remembrance and gratitude for your overwhelming support during this time,” Tavares Police Department Public Information Office Courtney Sullivan said last week.
Xavier, 10, died March 21 from injuries he suffered from the abuse after spending nearly a month in the hospital. His mother, Kimberley Mills, and her boyfriend, Andre Walker brought Xavier to the hospital in cardiac arrest and covered in burns and bruises in February.
Mills, 37, and Walker, 36, are also accused of abusing Xavier’s younger brother, and are facing a litany of charges, including principal to second degree murder. They are both being held in the Lake County Jail on no bond.
TAVARES, Fla.—The couple accused of abusing and torturing a Tavares boy to death is now facing additional charges, principal to second-degree murder and two counts of principal to aggravated child abuse, the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office said Monday.
While law enforcement and prosecutors continued to work toward securing justice for Xavier Williams and his little brother Monday, his friends and classmates expressed their feelings with a message.
Xavier Williams
Xavier, 10, died Friday from injuries he suffered at the hands of his mother, Kimberley Mills, 37, and her boyfriend, Andre Walker, 36, according to Tavares Police Department. The couple brought Xavier to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares Feb. 22 suffering from cardiac arrest and covered in burns and bruises. He was later airlifted to an Orlando hospital where he fought for his life for nearly a month. He never regained consciousness.
TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan called the abuse “unimaginable” and “horrific,” and released some details earlier this month. Police believe Xavier was restrained with duct tape while weights were dropped onto his stomach. “His hands were bound above his head, leaving him defenseless,” she said. Detectives also uncovered evidence Xavier’s little brother was victimized.
A candlelight vigil to celebrate and honor Xavier is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Wooton Park, downtown Tavares, The public in invited to attend and encouraged to wear blue, Xavier’s favorite color.
LEESBURG, Fla.—Leesburg Police Department has made another arrest in the murder of a 20-year-old man last year.
Neville G. Muirhead, 22, was arrested on Jacaranda Drive in Lady Lake by Leesburg Police Department with the assistance of Lady Lake Police Department and Mid Florida SWAT around 2 p.m. Tuesday, LPD Lt. Shannon Walsh said.
“Detectives from the Leesburg Police Department have been diligently investigating this case, focusing on locating additional evidence and collaborating with the State Attorney’s Office,” Walsh said in an email. “Our detective division will continue to investigate this case and encourages the public to come forward with any information.”
Muirhead is facing additional charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and fleeing and eluding from Lady Lake Police Department stemming from when officers took him into custody. Inside Lake is working on getting details on those charges.
This is the second arrest made in the murder of James Jordan. Jordan was found lying in the yard of a home in the 2200 block of Aitken Loop in Overlook at Lake Griffin around 2:30 p.m. July 8, 2024 suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to UF Health Hospital Leesburg, where he died from his injuries, Walsh said last year. In August 2024, Ondrique D. Mosely, 18, of Lady Lake was arrested after LPD detectives connected the car used in the crime to him, according to a probable cause affidavit. Mosely is facing a charge of principal to first degree murder and has been held in the Lake County Jail on no bond since his arrest. Muirhead is also being held on no bond.
Jordan’s murder investigation continues to be open and active and police believe more suspects are involved. If you have information, call LPD at 352-787-2121 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS; Crimeline callers may be eligible for a reward.
SORRENTO, Fla.—The man accused of killing a man in Sorrento Thursday, is in custody according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
“… Justin Fout has been located and taken into custody by law enforcement. As the situation is still under investigation, additional details are not yet available,” LCSO Cpl. Chanel Martin said late Friday afternoon.
Deputies were also attempting to locate Patricia Neeley, as person of interest in the murder of Justin Kates, 37. LCSO has not released any new information on her whereabouts.
Fout is suspected of murdering Kates during an altercation Thursday at 31504 Colby Place in Sorrento. An argument apparently escalated and Fout shot Kates, killing him. Kates was found lying in the roadway when deputies arrived on scene.
Fout fled the scene, along with Neeley, in an older model white Dodge Ram van Thursday; he was located at at undisclosed location Friday following a media release.
SORRENTO, Fla.—A man is on the run, accused of killing a man in Sorrento Thursday, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses said Justin Kates, 37, and Justin Joseph Raymond Fout, 31, engaged in a verbal argument Thursday at 31504 Colby Place in Sorrento. The argument apparently escalated and Fout shot Kates, killing him, LCSO said. He was found dead lying in the roadway when deputies arrived on scene.
Fout fled the scene, along with Patricia Neeley, in an older model white Dodge Ram van. The van should have front and rear end damage and red transfer paint on the rear; the rear right door is spray-painted black, and the left rear door window is busted out, according to LCSO.
A warrant has been issued for Fout’s arrest for second-degree murder; Neeley is not facing charges at this time, but she is a person of interest. If you have information on their whereabouts, call LCSO at 352-343-2101.
