Murder

Clermont woman who was “acting strange and talking about having premonitions” arrested for killing husband

CLERMONT, Fla.—A woman is facing a first-degree murder charge after shooting and killing her husband late Sunday night, according to an arrest affidavit.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to 10649 Lake Ralph Drive in unincorporated Clermont just before 10:10 p.m. on a report of a homicide and when they arrived, the complainant whose name is redacted from the affidavit, escorted a deputy into the home where Maria Jose Rodriguez, 40, was sitting in the dining room.

She was secured in handcuffs and placed in a patrol vehicle and deputies then found her husband, Andrew Rodriguez, 40, lying on his side in a pool of blood in a bedroom. Lake EMS pronounced him deceased 10 minutes after LCSO arrived on scene.

The complainant told deputies Maria Rodriguez was “acting strange and talking about having premonitions” prior to the shooting. Andrew Rodriguez contacted Maria Rodriguez’ mother and requested family members to come to the home. When the family told Maria Rodriguez they were going to take her to the hospital, she “freaked out,” followed her husband into the bedroom and shot him multiple times.

Maria Rodriguez then exited the bedroom with a notebook in her hand and stated how important the notebook was, according to the affidavit. Evidence found at the scene was consistent with Maria Rodriguez moving closer to her husband as she fired, an LCSO detective noted in the affidavit.

She was arrested for first-degree murder and transported to the Lake County Jail, where she is being held on no bond.

 

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Accused Leesburg Killer Surrenders

LEESBURG, Fla.—The teenager accused of killing a Leesburg man Wednesday has surrendered and is in the Lake County Jail, according to a Leesburg Police Department social media post.

Kevin Harrison, 19, is accused of shooting Lekendre Hall, 37, at a home at 1906 West Main Street around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday. LPD responded to the scene and found Hall lying on the ground suffering from at least one gunshot wound; he was transported to UF Health Leesburg, where he was pronounced deceased from his injuries, Capt. Joe Iozzi said Thursday.

Crime scene investigators and detectives responded to the scene and Harrison was identified as the suspect after several witnesses were interviewed, Iozzi said.

Harrison is charged with second-degree murder and is being held on no bond. Police have not released a motive for the killing.

Previous story: Leesburg Police Searching for Accused Killer – Inside Lake

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Leesburg Police Searching for Accused Killer

LEESBURG, Fla.—Leesburg Police Department is searching for a man they say shot and killed another man on Main Street Wednesday night.

LPD responded to 1906 West Main Steet around 8:45 p.m. and found Lekendre Hall, 37, lying on the ground suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was transported to UF Health Leesburg where he pronounced deceased, according to Capt. Joe Iozzi.

“Leesburg officers secured the crime scene and detectives were then summoned along with Leesburg CSI,” Iozzi said, and after interviewing multiple witnesses, Kevin Harrison, 19, was identified as the shooter.

Harrison has not been apprehended and LPD has not released a motive for the killing. If you have information on Harrison’s whereabouts, call LPD at 352-787-2121.

 

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Man Pleads Guilty to 2022 Murder of Leesburg Girlfriend

TAVARES, Fla.—In an unexpected twist Monday, a Leesburg man accused of gunning down his girlfriend last year pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon the same day jury selection for his trial was set to begin.

Alphonza Bryant, 41, was sentenced to 45 years in prison for killing Melissa Keonna Smith, 37, in the laundry room of her Leesburg home on Aug. 8, 2022.

Bryant was captured on video approaching Smith’s home, brandishing a firearm, and “engaging in a verbal altercation off-camera that culminated in a single gunshot,” Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney William “Bill” Gladson’s office stated in a press release.

A witness told Leesburg Police Department Bryant tried to force his way in the laundry room while armed and the witness was, “compelled to leave the scene.” Bryant fired a single shot, killing Smith, fled the scene and dropped a gun.

Bryant was arrested two days after the murder for a violation of probation in a prior case and later charged with Smith’s murder after an “exhaustive investigation by Leesburg Police Department.”

“We hope these charges allow for some level of healing and relief for the family and friends of Ms. Smith,” LPD Capt. Joe Iozzi said after Bryant’s arrest last year. “We would especially like to thank our community for their assistance with this investigation.”

Bryant is currently in the Lake County Jail and will remain there until he is transferred to the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections.

“Eyewitness testimony serves as a crucial pillar in prosecuting any case, let alone a murder case. Bryant knew the evidence stacked against him would weave the narrative of truth for jurors to convict him,” Gladson said in a statement. “Acknowledging this grim reality, we are pleased the defendant was sentenced to 45 years in prison. We hope this helps to bring closure to the tragic loss suffered by Melissa Keonna Smith’s family.”

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Virginia Murder Suspect Arrested in Lady Lake

LADY LAKE, Fla.—A Pennsylvania man wanted for murder in Virginia was arrested by Lady Lake Police Department early Wednesday morning.

Maurice T. Massey, 29, was pulled over for traveling 51 miles per hour in a 40 miles-per-hour zone on U.S. Highway 27/441 near Griffin View Drive at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to Lady Lake Communications Director Elisha Pappacoda.

LLPD Cpl. Heather Couch conducted the traffic stop and after a routine driver license check, Massey was found to have a warrant for second-degree murder out of Virginia, Pappacoda said.

Massey, of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, was driving a white Hyundai Sonata with a Virginia license plate and when he was taken into custody, he reportedly told LLPD he knew what the warrant was for, but it was “all wrong.” He said he only witnessed a murder, according to the report.

“I’d like to commend our officers for their diligence and remind the community that even routine traffic stops can make a difference in the safety of our community,” said LLPD Chief Steve Hunt.

Massey was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on no bond.

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Eustis Man Convicted in Orange County ’96 Cold Case Murder Solved Using Genetic Genealogy

Editor’s note: The following story contains crime scene photos some may consider graphic. Viewer discretion is advised. 

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.—A Eustis man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted earlier this month in the brutal cold case murder of a gas station manager in 1996.

Terence “Terry” Paquette was 31 years old when he was stabbed 73 times and found dead in the bathroom of Lil’ Champ, 4510 Clarcona Ocoee Road, Orlando in northwest Orange County on Feb. 3, 1996. The store is now a Kwik Stop.

“It was a horrific crime scene with blood everywhere,” according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Terence “Terry” Paquette was brutally murdered in 1996. PHOTO: Orange County Sheriff’s Office

Paquette was found by OCSO deputies after receiving a call that the store was dark, and the doors were locked. Another employee stopped by the store when he saw deputies and let them inside with his key. Upon searching the store, Paquette was found dead, and his autopsy revealed he died from multiple penetrating wounds to his heart, lungs, head, chest and abdomen. He suffered a total of 73 stab wounds, an arrest affidavit states.

Crime scene photo from the 1996 murder of Terence Paquette. PHOTO: Orange County Sheriff’s Office

In November 2021, a quarter century after the murder, Eustis resident Kenneth Stough, now 56, was linked to the crime through genetic genealogy.

“This is the first time a homicide case has been solved using genetic genealogy at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office,” OCSO said.

Crime scene investigators located blood in several parts of the store other than the bathroom, and the pattern indicated the suspect injured himself during the attack and walked around the store. Paquette’s keys were not located in the store and still have never been found; money was also missing from the safe. Several blood samples were sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for analysis, and it was determined that blood from a beverage freezer handle, a freezer flap, lottery machine, the key cylinder from the exterior door and a push bar from a door all came from the same individual and it was not Paquette.

Crime scene photo from the 1996 murder of Terence Paquette. PHOTO: Orange County Sheriff’s Office

On Sept. 29. 1997, the case was closed “pending further investigative leads.” In 2003, the case was reopened, and no suspects were identified. In 2019, OCSO Detective Brian Savelli began reviewing the case. In March 2021, FDLE contracted with an outside lab to obtain a sample for forensic genetic genealogy and the data was uploaded to genealogy databases. It was determined the sample belonged to one of three brothers.

Savelli determined Stough had previously worked at the store, lived just two blocks from Paquette at the time of the murder and they were only three years apart in age. Stough was 28 at the time of the murder.

Crime scene photo from the 1996 murder of Terence Paquette. PHOTO: Orange County Sheriff’s Office

On Aug. 25, 2021, Lake County Circuit Judge Heidi Davis signed a GPS order for Stough’s 2007 black Chevrolet Equinox. On Sept. 14, 2021, OCSO began following Stough and followed him to a convenience store in Eustis. After making two trips into the store, Stough backed the Equinox next to a public dumpster and placed a grey plastic bag in the dumpster that appeared to be filled with beer cans.

The detective secured the dumpster and removed the grey plastic bag that had seven 16-ounce Budweiser beer cans. The cans were submitted to FDLE, and a sample was obtained from one of the cans. The sample matched the DNA from the beverage freezer handle from the 1996 murder.

“The DNA on the item that he had matched the DNA to the crime scene,” Savelli said.

Stough was arrested Nov. 1, 2021, for first-degree murder and armed robbery and held in the Orange Jail on bond. He stood trial earlier this month and was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Previous story: Beer Can Helps Nab Eustis Man For ’96 Cold Case Murder – Inside Lake

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Man Arrested for Murder Last Week by Eustis Police Stabbed by Inmate also Being Held for Murder

TAVARES, Florida—Austin Hill, the man arrested last week in the murder of Wseni “Haitian Black” Laguerre, was stabbed multiple times by another inmate at the Lake County Jail Sunday; and the man accused of stabbing him is well-known to Lake County law enforcement.

Around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, a Lake County Sheriff’s Office detective responded to the jail after detention staff reported an inmate had been stabbed. Hill, 26, was stabbed multiple times in the back, neck and face and video surveillance clearly showed his attacker was Dustin “Chico” Perdue, 27, according to an arrest affidavit.

Only Inside Lake extensively covered Perdue’s numerous arrests for armed robbery in 2022 in Clermont, unincorporated Mount Dora and Tavares and in February 2023, he was charged with murdering Alejandro “Alex” Garcia in Tavares April 8, 2022. Perdue’s nephew, Octavious Marquis Reed, 23, was also charged in the murder.

According to the affidavit, Hill told LCSO he was talking with another inmate when Perdue came up behind him and struck him multiple times in the back and neck and finally on his left temple. Perdue then went upstairs to his cell and Hill followed him to confront him. Hill walked back downstairs, and Perdue attacked him a second time. He told a detective the weapon was a sharp, small, metal object and the handle was a t-shirt. The weapon was found Monday when detectives returned to LCJ to interview other inmates who may have witnessed the attack.

The attack, which began at 7:11 p.m., was captured on video and clearly showed Perdue committing the crime. Detectives also listened to a call Perdue made to a female just minutes before the attack.

“During the conversation, the inmate advises the female that he was about to go to the box (Disciplinary Confinement). The female questions the inmate who states, ‘l can’t really um talk…you know the news?’ to which the female says, ‘OK. The new…oh, OK. Alright, baby.’

The inmate then states, ‘Yeah, he just came in my…(unintelligible.)’ Later in the conversation the inmate tells the female that he would be given 30 days and would then probably be going to AC confinement for ‘like eight months.’ The inmate then tells the female. “You know I’m not just fixing to fight this dude. So, I’m going to get 30 days in the box.’

Perdue was charged with attempted murder on Tuesday and remains in LCJ.

Previous stories

Arrest Made in Eustis January Murder – Inside Lake

Armed Robbery Suspect and Nephew Charged in 2022 Tavares Murder – Inside Lake

Man Arrested for Murder Last Week by Eustis Police Stabbed by Inmate also Being Held for Murder Read More »

Arrest Made in Eustis January Murder

EUSTIS, Florida—An arrest has been made in the January murder of a Eustis man, Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri announced Thursday morning.

Austin Lashay Hill, 26, of Tangerine was taken into custody at the Lake County/Orange County line Tuesday on a warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, improper exhibition of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Those crimes were also committed in Eustis.

On Wednesday, several more charges were added to Hill, including premeditated murder, discharging a firearm in public and an additional charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Flanked by family and loved ones of the victim, Capri said Hill murdered Wseni “Haitian Blac” Laguerre, 39, at Laguerre’s Eustis home on Palm Avenue Jan. 30. EPD responded to the shooting and found Laguerre with multiple gunshot wounds. Witnesses told police an individual, now identified as Hill, had some sort of confrontation with Laguerre, shot him multiple times and fled the scene. Laguerre was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares where he died a brief time later, Capri told Inside Lake earlier this year.

Wseni “Haitian Blac” Laguerre
COURTESY PHOTO

Choking back tears, Laguerre’s cousin spoke briefly to reporters about her cousin who was described as a family man who took his mother to all her doctor’s appointments. She said he will be remembered for his smile, his love and his aura. He was also an identical twin.

“He was the glue” she said, “He kept us together.”

Pam Simmons, a resident of Eustis came to the press conference because she cares about her community and is tired of all the gun violence.

“I just want us to stop killing each other,” she told Inside Lake.

Eustis Mayor Michael Holland also spoke and had a warning for anyone who commits a crime in Eustis, “We will catch you,” he said.

Police had not released a motive in the shooting and Capri said even with this arrest, the investigation is ongoing.

Arrest Made in Eustis January Murder Read More »

Long Arm of the Law Catches Up with Umatilla Murder Suspect

UMATILLA, Florida—The third man suspected in the 2022 murder of a Umatilla man has been apprehended in Georgia, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Marvin Habakkuk Ellison, Jr., 40, of Orlando, was taken into custody at an apartment complex in in DeKalb County, Georgia on Friday morning and a search warrant was executed where he was staying, LCSO said.

A warrant was issued for Ellison’s arrest earlier this year and he was located by LCSO detectives, investigators from the Orlando Police Department and U.S. Marshals; he may be involved with other cases, according to LCSO.  

Ellison and two other men, Deandre Bernard Anderson, 32, of Leesburg and Undray Tony Benson, 51, of Orlando are accused of murdering Antwain “Lil Daddy” Hart, 31, on Nov. 8, 2022. Hart was found with at least one gunshot wound in front of a home in the Southside area of unincorporated Umatilla and died during transport to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Lt. John Herrell told Inside Lake last year.

Antwain “Lil Daddy” Hart was murdered in Umatilla in 2022. Deputies have arrested three men for his murder. PHOTO: Hart Family

Only Inside Lake was on the scene following the shooting. Hart’s rental vehicle, a 2022 white Jeep Cherokee, was stolen at the time of his murder and found about 12 hours later behind the First Church of God Eustis, 1550 North Highway 19, by Eustis Police Department. The church is just 3.7 miles from the murder scene.

PHOTOS: Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Earlier this year, Benson and Anderson were arrested in Orange County, accused of Hart’s murder after LCSO developed leads in the case, but details of the murder and a motive are unclear because the probable cause affidavit in the case is sealed, according to Lake County Clerk of Court online records.

Anderson and Benson are both being held at LCJ on no bond and Ellison is awaiting extradition to Lake County. Ellison’s mugshot was not available at press time.

Long Arm of the Law Catches Up with Umatilla Murder Suspect Read More »

Armed Robbery Suspect and Nephew Charged in 2022 Tavares Murder

TAVARES, Florida—Last August, only Inside Lake uncovered a man accused of multiple armed robberies across Lake County was suspected in the murder of Alejandro “Alex” Garcia.

On Thursday, Dustin “Chico” Perdue was charged with his murder; and on Monday night his nephew, Octavious Marquis Reed was nabbed by U.S. Marshals and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Street Crimes Unit, Tavares Police Detective Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake.

Perdue, 27, and Reed, 23, are accused of shooting Garcia, 29, and Darnell Lester, 31, April 8, 2022 at Caroline Court Apartments, 1000 East Caroline Street in Tavares. Garcia, of Mount Dora, succumbed to his injuries and died and Lester—shot multiple times—attempted to drive himself away from the scene but crashed the bullet-ridden vehicle he was driving, Sullivan told Inside Lake the night of the incident. Sullivan is also TPD’s public information officer (PIO.)

Neither Garcia nor Lester lived at the complex but were known to hang out there and are related to each other, Sullivan said. Lester’s last known is address is Apopka.

TPD is not releasing much information in the case, including a motive and the probable cause affidavits in the case are sealed.

Perdue, who was already in the Lake County Jail on no bond facing 14 charges related to multiple armed robberies in Clermont, Mount Dora, Tavares and unincorporated Mount Dora, has been in LCJ since August 2022, when he was arrested on a traffic stop following an armed robbery in Clermont. His alleged accomplice in the robberies, Patrick Antonio Brown, 22, was also arrested and is being held on no bond. Brown is not a suspect in Garcia’s murder and Lester’s shooting in April, Sullivan said.   

In Garcia’s murder, Perdue and Reed are both facing one count each of first degree murder, attempted murder and discharging a firearm on residential property; Perdue is facing an additional charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. When Reed was taken into custody Monday, he was carrying a concealed firearm and marijuana and is facing two additional charges.

They are both being held in the Lake County Jail on no bond.

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More Charges For Armed Robbery Duo

Armed Robbery Suspect and Nephew Charged in 2022 Tavares Murder Read More »

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