Florida's Recent News

A Florida teenager has mysteriously died in her sleep at her parents’ home after a night out at a bar in what officials have deemed a possible homicide case. Ava Hulett, 19, was pronounced dead in her family’s home in Estero, just hours after she was released from the hospital after an incident at Pelican Larry’s Raw Bar and Grill in Fort Myers early June 15.   Lee County detectives have now launched an investigation into the death, according to Anthony Rickman, a

A Florida firefighter killed his wife in an apparent murder-suicide just weeks after she opened up online about how his grueling work schedule left him “exhausted” and “never functioning 100% at home.”  St. Johns County Fire Rescue Lt. Shawn Yarbrough, 46, and his wife, financial adviser Andrea Nichole Nahrup Yarbrough, 34, were found dead in the bathroom of their St. Augustine home earlier this month, the sheriff’s department said. Police were called to the couple’s home on June 13 after Andrea’s

A Florida mother who locked her adopted son in a tiny, cage-like room, custom-built specifically to house the boy like a prisoner in his own home, pleaded guilty on Monday and walked away with probation. Tracy Ferriter, 48, pleaded guilty to one count each of aggravated child abuse, false imprisonment, and child neglect for the torture-like punishment meted out to the boy. For several weeks in late 2021 and early 2022, she and her husband, Timothy Ferriter, 48, forced their son to

A 54-year-old Florida woman shot a wheelchair-bound victim after a verbal argument, and after an extensive trial where the prosecution presented compelling evidence, a jury found Virginia Lee Hizer guilty of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm. The verdict comes after Hizer took the stand in her own defense for her 2022 arrest. According to the State Attorney, back on July 8, 2022, Hizer and the victim had become engaged in a verbal argument. After consuming an entire bottle of wine

A 92-year-old Palmetto woman died after driving her SUV into a ditch Tuesday night, according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release. She was traveling south on 3rd Avenue West, passing 42nd Street Court West, at the time of the crash, just before 7:30 p.m. After she lost control at a curve, she drove off the road and into the ditch, FHP said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Expert Legal Representation for Car Accident Victims by Ovadia Law

Photo by: AP A St. Louis County woman died while on vacation Sunday in Florida.  The Bay County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that 60-year-old Debbie Szymanski died after swimming at Panama City Beach in the Gulf of Mexico with her family.  Police said they responded to a distressed swimmer call at about 11:30 a.m. at the beach. When police arrived, they said family members were already bringing Szymanski to the shore. According to the police report, she was not responsive. EMS

Photo by: Fox13news The family of a 28-year-old woman is now navigating their grief this week after she was killed in a Tampa crash over the weekend. Emily Koutsoliontos may have been a New York native, but she lived like a Tampa Bay area local. “She loved the job. She loved her new life in Florida. She loved her roommate, her apartment. She was just living life to the fullest down there,” said Nick Koutsoliontos, Emily’s father. Her parents Nick and Michele

A Central Florida man stabbed his victim in the back in an aggravated battery attack after a situation escalated. A jury delivered a guilty verdict in the Lake County case against 51-year-old Cesario Bastian, who was charged with Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon after his 2022 arrest by the Leesburg Police Department. “This case is another example of the diligent efforts of our law enforcement partners,” said Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson. “The efforts of the Leesburg

A Panama City man has been arrested and is facing animal cruelty charges following the death of two of his pets. Shelton Owens Jr. was arrested Tuesday after the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said they received a complaint he had rarely been seen taking care of his dogs and they stayed chained up all day. When deputies arrived at Owen’s home, they found a puppy chained to a nearby tree. The puppy was allegedly very skinny and had abrasions on

Residents living at Melbourne’s Pentagon Garden Apartments said they’re traumatized after a man allegedly opened fire within the complex on Wednesday morning.  Amanda Hernandez said she was jolted out of her sleep.  “The gunfire actually woke me and my son up,” she said.  Hernandez said her “mama bear instinct” kicked in and she covered her 9-year-old as they crawled to the bathroom to hide.  According to Melbourne police, a man at the apartment complex began to shoot at officers. The alleged

A jury on Wednesday recommended a former prison guard trainee be sentenced to death for his execution-style murders of five women inside a Florida bank five years ago, a massacre that fulfilled his long-stated desire to kill. Jurors voted 9-3 to recommend Zephen Xaver receive the death penalty for the Jan. 23, 2019, murders at the SunTrust Bank in Sebring, about 85 miles (135 kilometers) southeast of Tampa. Xaver, 27, stared straight ahead and showed no emotion as the verdicts

A Florida man is facing animal cruelty charges after Collier County deputies found his dog tethered to a pole outside during heavy rainfall, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. 43-year-old Romeo Gabriel-Lopez allegedly left his dog, a bully terrier named Robo, tied up outside with no way to escape the downpour. The sheriff’s office reports that at least a foot of water flooded the dog’s doghouse while it was restrained. Deputies arrived at the scene on June 12th in