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Florida man stabbed woman after she criticized his children

homesafetytechpros — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 21:03:55 +0000

Inset: Jammacar Gayle (Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The grocery store where Gayle stabbed a woman who criticized his children in Port Charlotte, Fla. (Google Maps).

A Florida man will spend over a decade behind bars for brutally stabbing a woman who criticized his children at a supermarket.

Jammacar Rodkesh Gayle, 40, was convicted by a jury of his peers in March after a three-day trial in Florida’s 20th Judicial Circuit.

On Monday, the defendant was sentenced to 12 years in prison on one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon or causing great bodily harm, the state’s attorney announced in a press release.

The knife attack occurred near the butcher’s counter at the Milan Supermarket on Tamiami Trail in Port Charlotte — a large, census-designated place some 30 miles northwest of Fort Myers.

On June 9, 2023, Gayle was shopping at the store with his children and ex-wife, where they proceeded toward the meat section in the back. Later, a woman entered the store and stood in line waiting to buy meat at the counter near the family, according to an arrest affidavit issued by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

“At some point there is a verbal altercation that ended up being over the kids’ behavior and the victim said something to [Gayle’s ex-wife] and they ended up arguing,” the affidavit reads. “Gayle stood back and did not get involved.”

The contretemps then cooled down for a few moments.

After getting half her meat order, the victim left the counter and then returned to pick up the rest, passing by Gayle’s ex-wife.

“Words are exchanged between the two females and [Gayle’s ex-wife] pushes the victim,” the affidavit goes on. “The victim pushes [Gayle’s ex-wife] back and Gayle steps up to the victim and as she turns around towards him, the victim bumps into Gayle.”

After being touched, the defendant and the victim finally got into an argument together. Next, the victim can be seen on surveillance footage pushing Gayle against the meat cooler and walking past him, according to law enforcement.

More Law&Crime coverage: ‘He was nearly finished’: Instacart shopper kills police officer at supermarket during grocery run, cops say

Incensed, Gayle grabbed a cast iron pan from a shelf in the store and swung it toward the victim — but his oldest daughter intercepted and took the pan from her father, the affidavit says. Undeterred, the defendant then grabbed a “packaged 8′ chef knife from the shelf,” removed the knife from its packaging, and the attack began in earnest, according to the court document.

“In the video, I observe Gayle swing, over hand twice at the victim, then twice across the victim and then twice in an over hand motion again,” the detective writes in the affidavit.

After the stabbing, Gayle fled to the parking lot, authorities noted. The victim, though severely wounded, followed after him in an attempt to photograph the license plate on his vehicle. Still brandishing the knife, Gayle threatened the woman again and then left with his family.

First responders found the victim in dire straits.

More Law&Crime coverage: Florida man allegedly commits 2 felony thefts within 15 minutes — at the same Publix supermarket

“The victim was bleeding profusely from her abdomen and head,” the affidavit reads. “While responding deputies were providing first aid to the victim, she informed deputies that she had been attacked by a black male … with a large chef knife that he got from the store shelf after a verbal altercation over the suspect’s uncontrolled kids.”

In an interview, the store owner, who witnessed the incident, said both the Gayle family and the victim were regular customers.

Ultimately, the victim had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital where she received lifesaving treatment, according to prosecutors.

Meanwhile, Gayle haphazardly tried to conceal the crime.

“He put his bloody clothes into a trash bag and then drove to New York,” the press release reads. “The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office used surveillance video to identify the make and model of the suspect’s car and were able to utilize license plate readers in the area, to pinpoint his residence and learn his identity.”

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After law enforcement executed a search warrant, the knife used in the attack and blood-spattered clothes were found still hidden in the trash at Gayle’s residence in North Port — a medium-sized city located a few miles north of Port Charlotte.

The defendant was arrested the next day in the New York City borough of Queens by U.S. Marshals and extradited back to the Sunshine State.

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Driver kills mom, hurts kids hours after DUI release: Cops

homesafetytechpros — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 21:14:03 +0000

Left inset: Nicholas Betancourt (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office). Right inset: Dana Rivera (Loyless Funeral Home/Legacy.com). Background: The area of Gunn Highway near Dolce Vita Lane in Odessa, Fla., where Dana Rivera was killed (Google Maps).

A Florida minister allegedly killed a mother and seriously injured three of her children — ages 4, 6 and 15 — in a wrong-way car crash just six hours after he was released from jail for a DUI arrest, cops say.

Nicholas Betancourt, 33, is facing nearly a dozen charges, including DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide, for the Feb. 27 crash in Odessa that took the life of Dana Maria Rivera, 36, and left three of her children hospitalized, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The mother-of-four was driving southbound on Gunn Highway near Dolce Vita Lane when Betancourt, who was driving a Chrysler Pacifica minivan, allegedly drifted over from the northbound lane and slammed into her Lincoln Town car.

Police say Betancourt, who was arrested on Thursday, was “on the nod” after the crash occurred, according to a motion filed by prosecutors for pretrial detention, with deputies who responded saying he appeared intoxicated.

“Deputy Garcia made contact with Defendant on scene and observed the defendant to be ‘on the nod’ with his head falling down and his eyes droopy,” the motion said. “Dash camera footage recovered shows the Pacifica operated by Defendant leaving its lane of travel and entering into the lane of travel for the Town Car at the time of the crash.”

The Airbag Control Module (ACM) for the Pacifica that Betancourt was driving was analyzed and police allegedly found that the vehicle was traveling at a speed of 58 mph — 13 mph over the 45 mph limit — five seconds prior to the crash and up until it occurred, per the motion. “According to the ACM, the Pacific was drifting from his lane to the left by 8 to 10 degrees throughout the 5 seconds of pre-crash data and Defendant never activated the brakes,” prosecutors alleged.

Video was obtained from surrounding businesses that allegedly shows Betancourt driving on Gunn Highway just prior to the crash, with him being “slow to react to traffic that was accelerating from a green light,” according to the detention motion.

“As the defendant crossed an intersection, it appeared the Pacifica drifted off the right side of the road and into the grassy shoulder area,” prosecutors said.

After the crash, Betancourt was transported to a local hospital with injuries. Blood and urine tests showed that he had cocaine, amphetamines, oxycodone and benzodiazepines in his system when he arrived. A search of his Pacifica turned up a “box within a purple suitcase” in the backseat of the vehicle, which contained methamphetamine, “possible” Psilocybin mushrooms, cocaine, MDMA, Oxycodone, Xanax, Carisoprodol and Narcan nasal spray. Drug paraphernalia was also found, including three straws, two blades and a broken piece of a glass pipe with methamphetamine residue on it.

“Through further investigation, it was found (Betancourt) had been arrested and charged by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for Driving Under the Influence on Feb. 27,” prosecutors said in their motion Friday. “Pinellas County Deputy A. Extine conducted the investigation after a concerned citizen had reported a reckless driver. When deputies came into contact with the driver/defendant, they observed signs of drug impairment to include, not being able to keep his eyes open, unable to stand straight without almost falling over, along with several odd statements.”

Betancourt was arrested by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for an alleged DUI and his license was automatically suspended on account of him refusing to provide a urine sample. He was released approximately six hours before he allegedly killed Rivera in Hillsborough County while she was driving with her kids.

“A mother lost her life, and her children will carry that emotional scar forever,” said HCSO Sheriff Chad Chronister in a statement Friday. “This family’s life was shattered in an instant because of one man’s selfish and reckless decision,” Chronister said. “Nothing will ever bring their mother back or erase the trauma these children will carry for the rest of their lives, but we want them to know they are not alone. We will stand by them. We will do everything in our power to ensure this man is held accountable for the devastation he has caused. I hope this arrest brings Dana Rivera’s family some sense of peace and justice.”

Loved ones described the slain New Jersey native in an online obituary posted on Legacy.com by the Loyless Funeral Home, saying: “Dana was kind, loving, generous, and silly. She would laugh and cry with you, was most likely to stub her toe, and was a very hard worker. Dana held two jobs: Hospitality at Steinbrenner High School, and Publix deli. She was busy all of the time taking her kids to school, some after school programs, and kept up a home for her family.”

As first reported by the Tampa Bay Times, Hillsborough booking records list Betancourt as a “minister” and his employer as a local Presbyterian church that is not identified. Videos and posts on Facebook describe him as an “associate pastor.” He has enlisted the services of a public defender.

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Florida man who admitted he stabbed woman ‘a lot’ sentenced

homesafetytechpros — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 21:39:05 +0000

Background: The America’s Best Value Inn in Bradenton, Fla. (WFLA). Inset: Steven Joseph Cozens (Manatee County Sheriff’s Office).

A Florida man who confessed to police that he stabbed his girlfriend “a lot” pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 60 years in prison.

Steven Joseph Cozens, 27, was arrested on Aug. 28, 2022, and charged with second-degree murder after the body of his 26-year-old girlfriend (who was only identified as “Jennifer” under Florida’s Marsy’s Law) was found wrapped in a sheet under the bed in a room at an America’s Best Value Inn located in Bradenton. Her body was found by the housekeeping staff, who called police. Cozens was read his Miranda rights after being found by police near the scene. According to reporting by WFLA, a local NBC affiliate, he confessed to police to killing his girlfriend, saying that he stabbed her “a lot.”

The physical confrontation between Cozens and his girlfriend, who were both living at the hotel at the time of her murder, occurred after the two had a verbal argument. Cozens then reportedly told police that he then stabbed her several times. He fled the hotel after trying to conceal her body but didn’t get that far.

Cozens was held in custody without bail, and he was indicted on Jan. 17, 2023, of first-degree murder. He was scheduled to stand trial on Dec. 16 but instead pleaded guilty on Dec. 19 to second-degree murder with a weapon. A judge sentenced him to 60 years in state prison with credit for time served. He has 30 days to appeal.

Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell said in a statement provided to the press that “[d]ue to the excellent work of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit, the defendant was apprehended within hours of this murder and made a full confession. This sentence will not bring Jennifer back but hopefully it will provide some comfort to her family.”

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Florida law would pay up to $5 million of Trump’s legal fees

homesafetytechpros — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 05:20:39 +0000

Left: Florida State Sen. Ileana Garcia, who filed the legislation; Right: Donald Trump. (The Florida Senate; (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Florida Republicans are promoting a new law that would pay former President Donald Trump’s myriad legal defense bills with public funds — to the potentially high-priced tune of several million dollars.

The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 1740, was introduced earlier this month by State Sen. Ileana Garcia, a Republican and longtime Trump stalwart who represents parts of Miami-Dade County.

The two-page bill would create a new section of the Sunshine State’s public campaign finance law to establish the “Defending Freedom Fighters Trust Fund.” The fund would allot “up to $5 million” that could be tapped by a “qualified person” if they are running for the U.S. presidency as a Florida resident and face criminal charges.

Under the terms of the proposed statute, the trust funds “must be used to provide grants to qualified persons subject to political discrimination to pay for legal fees incurred as a result of criminal charges brought by a U.S. public entity.”

The funds would be administered by the Florida Department of Revenue and the bill would grant the department “the sole authority to determine if a person has been subject to political discrimination,” subject to as-yet-established rules promulgated by the agency.

“The department shall distribute grants to a qualified person in an efficient manner, prioritizing funding based on the severity of criminal charges and the causal connection between the charges and the political affiliation of the qualified person,” the bill reads.

While SB 1740 itself is not specific — or particularly strenuous in terms of means-testing — the would-be beneficiary was not in doubt.

“We’ve got a Florida Man — Donald Trump — running for President, and he’s facing ongoing legal challenges from Democrats in New York, Washington DC, and Atlanta,” Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said in a Monday press release announcing the legislation.

In New York, Trump is facing state-level charges for allegedly falsifying business records related to the Stormy Daniels hush-money affair; in the nation’s capital, he is facing federal charges for alleged insurrectionary activities on Jan. 6, 2021; in the Florida federal system, he also faces charges for allegedly violating classified document laws and conspiracy to cover-up retention of those documents; in Atlanta, Trump is facing racketeering (RICO) charges for his well-documented efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

“The Left is really good at weaponizing the courts, and because President Biden is so unpopular, they’re not just trying to beat Trump at the ballot box, they’re trying to throw him behind bars, which is outrageous,” Patronis went on. “We need this Freedom Fighters Fund because as the Free State of Florida, we’re facing an onslaught of attacks from the federal government against the Sunshine State. If we can help and support a Florida candidate for the White House, that’s just good from a dollars and cents perspective.”

In sum, as of this writing, the 45th president has been personally charged with 91 separate criminal charges by three different offices.

Trump is currently on track to secure the 2024 GOP presidential nomination and is well-positioned, in terms of popular support measured by various recent opinion polls, to emerge victorious in a likely rematch with President Joe Biden. In fact, various media organizations have noted that Trump’s popular support, again in terms of opinion polling, steadily increased with each successive indictment.

Still, defending nearly 100 criminal charges is a daunting financial task. The ex-president’s allies appear intent on relieving the financial burden — or at least to be perceived as trying to do so as Trump is poised for his third straight election cycle atop the GOP ticket.

“We’re in the midst of an historic moment where we’re watching an election that’s trying to be stolen by Left wing prosecutors, the Biden Administration and even Blue States,” Garcia said on Monday. “They’re not trying to win at the ballot box; they’re trying to keep President Trump off the ballot by weaponizing the courts. Having a Floridian in the White House is good for our state — and anything we can do to support Florida Presidential candidates, like President Trump, will not only benefit our state, but our nation.”

According to the press release, the trust fund “legislation would frontload $5 million from the state’s Public Campaign Finance — Matching Funds Program” and “backfill the funding from voluntary donations via driver’s license registrations.”

“From all the decisions the federal government makes with regard to military installations, to roads, to disaster aid — it’s in Florida’s best interest to make sure their champion for the President is allowed a fair shot at the White House without being taken down by some fake witch-hunt,” Patronis went on to say.

Garcia, the 2016 director for Trump’s Latino outreach division, has defended the former president’s controversial comments about Mexican Americans and his opposition to illegal immigration.

A devoted member of the far-right, Garcia, in 2022, espoused the perspective that being gay and/or having gender dysphoria is a phase. During a debate about the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the Cuban American legislator reportedly said “gay is not a permanent thing, LGBT is not a permanent thing,” according to Florida Politics.

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Florida man wearing underwear on neck found prowling: Cops

homesafetytechpros — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 16:30:16 +0000

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested 35-year-old Troy Stuart after allegedly being caught prowling near where two bonsai trees worth $7,000 were stolen days earlier. Stuart was wearing underwear around his neck which served as a face mask. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)

Cops found a Florida man wearing a pair of underwear around his neck prowling near where two bonsai trees worth $7,000 were stolen days earlier, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

A resident in the 2000 block of Everest Parkway in Cape Coral called 911 around 10 p.m. on Jan. 11 to say they saw someone hiding behind a chair in their backyard near their dock on the Caloosahatchee River. He was wearing a gray hoodie, black shorts and a dark mask. When cops arrived they found him lying on his stomach between a tall hedge and thick brush near the sea wall.

The man was wearing the gray hoodie and black shorts the neighbors described, the press release said. He also had on a pair of dark navy blue underwear around his neck that he apparently was using as a face mask, according to cops.

The man was identified as 35-year-old Troy Dean Stuart. He told cops he was exercising in the area because of “its aesthetics and to avoid cars on the road.” He claimed the underwear around his neck was to protect his face from the cold.

Neighbors told the cops they saw Stuart in their backyards and yelled at him to get off their property. Another neighbor said they reported someone stole two bonsai trees worth $7,000 on Jan. 6. Stuart was allegedly seen on camera walking toward more bonsai trees the day he was arrested.

Cops found several of the same type of plants at Stuart’s home but they were not the ones stolen, the press release stated. They also weren’t able to see in the backyard due to a very tall fence. Stuart claimed he didn’t steal any plants. Deputies arrested Stuart on a loitering and prowling charge and took him to the Lee County Jail. Stuart has since posted a $150 bond.

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