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Jesse Stone Sexually Assaults 91 YR Old Woman

Jesse Stone is a rapist from Florid who would plead guilty to the sexual assault of a ninety one year old woman

According to court documents Jesse Stone, who was fourteen years old at the time of the attack, would break into the home of a ninety one year old woman who he would attack and sexually assault after she caught him sneaking around her home late at night

Jesse Stone would ultimately be arrested and plead guilty to one count each of sexual assault by someone under 18 years toward a victim over the age of 12 and burglary of a dwelling with battery

Jesse Stone was tried as an adult and faces decades in prison when sentenced in December 2024

Jesse Stone Case

A teenage boy in Florida admittedly sexually assaulted a 91-year-old woman earlier this year, court records filed this week show

Jesse Stone, 14, broke into the home of the nonagenarian victim over the summer, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman woke up around midnight and saw someone “sneaking through her home,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release.

Then, the adolescent criminal brutally attacked his victim.

“In a cruel act of violence, she was beaten and sexually battered,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said at the time.

The incident occurred on June 9, near the town of Reddick — a tiny town some 90 miles northwest of Orlando.

In the immediate aftermath of the shocking incident, law enforcement offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

By June 17, the assailant was in custody.

The sheriff offered a lengthy statement taking stock of the case:

I told everyone last week that we would find the person responsible, and we have. I’m very proud of the hard work that my detectives and forensics team have done on this case to bring about a quick closure. This type of unimaginable violence is still shocking to me after all of my years in law enforcement. The Reddick community has shown its resilience and support for us and their community through all of this. I also want to thank all of the citizens that sent in tips and leads in this case. It came as a shock that any individual would commit such an act on a 91-year-old, but it is truly disturbing when we see the young age of the arrestee. Although I firmly believe he should be held accountable for his crime, as a father, my compassion goes out to his family. Hopefully his arrest will lead to getting him help that prevents any further such acts.

A neighbor of the victim provided law enforcement with videos of Stone, the sheriff’s office said, according to Tampa-based NBC affiliate WFLA. Then, the neighbor saw the teenager riding his bike — wearing the same clothes he had on the night of the attack.

Investigators said they used DNA evidence and results from a rape kit to confirm Stone was, in fact, the culprit responsible for the crime.

“It’s a very meticulous, tedious process, but a lot of agencies don’t have that resource,” Marion County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Paul Bloom told the TV station. “A lot of their DNA is sent off and the results take a long time. We don’t want that. We don’t want time with this person out there to potentially attack another victim.”

During a subsequent interview with law enforcement, Stone allegedly admitted to breaking in, punching, and groping the woman.

The teenager was charged as an adult with one count each of sexual assault by someone under 18 years toward a victim over the age of 12 and burglary of a dwelling with battery, court records show.

He originally pleaded not guilty — but changed his plea on Nov. 7 before Fifth Judicial Circuit Judge Lisa Herndon.

Stone’s sentencing hearing is slated for Dec. 19.

Jesse Stone Sentencing

A 14-year-old boy accused of attacking and raping a 91-year-old woman in her bed has received a lengthy prison sentence in Florida. Jesse Stone was prosecuted as an adult and sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges of sexual battery and burglary of a dwelling with battery on Feb. 7, according to records filed in Marion County

Stone’s attorney declined to comment on the case to McClatchy News. The home invasion and rape of the 91-year-old shook the small town of Reddick, with a population of fewer than 500 people, and Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the attacker. To many people’s surprise, the accused perpetrator was 14. The evening of June 8, the woman reported she woke up to see a “dark shadow” hunched over and coming down the hall toward her bedroom, according to an arrest affidavit filed in Marion County.

Then the person jumped on her in bed, and she tried to fight him as he repeatedly punched her in the face, McClatchy News reported. She said she prayed to God for help, but her attacker told her to shut up before he tore off her underwear and sexually assaulted her, according to deputies. He eventually ran out of the house, leaving the woman with no clear description of her attacker in the dark, deputies said. When investigators arrived at a hospital to interview her, they said they found her in a cervical collar with bruises on her arms and her face, which was still bloody.

The woman said the day before the attack, a “neighborhood youth,” later identified as Jesse Stone, stopped by and had a conversation with her, deputies said. She described him as a “good” boy and said it had been awhile since he had come by, according to the report. Law enforcement began canvassing the area the day after the incident when Stone rode up to them on his bike and said his neighbor had something to show them, deputies said. On the neighbor’s surveillance video from the night of the break-in, a person is seen jogging wearing clothes similar to the ones Jesse Stone was wearing when he approached the deputies, according to investigators. They got permission from Stone’s grandmother, who was his guardian, to take DNA swabs, which came back as a match for DNA found on the woman’s underwear, deputies said.

He was taken into custody at his high school and told investigators he had entered the woman’s home and watched pornography on her iPad, then he assaulted her in the bedroom, deputies said. Jesse Stone initially pleaded not guilty to the charges before changing his plea in November, records show. He turned 15 in December. His attorney, Jonathan Mills, urged the judge for leniency, WOFL reported. “Mr. Stone had no criminal history,” the attorney said, according to the outlet. “His brain was nowhere near fully developed … and is still probably 10 years off from that being the case.”

According to Stone’s family and his attorney, the teen had a difficult upbringing without his parents’ involvement, and he developed a pornography addiction, WFTV reported. Reddick is about a 14-mile drive north from Ocala.

Brianna Moore Murders Newborn

Brianna Moore is an alleged teen killer from Florida who has been charged with the murder of her newborn

According to police reports Brianna Moore gave birth on the campus of the University of Tampa and would then dispose of the newborn. Her roommates would call campus security and report that they had heard a baby crying. When security showed up they reported finding blood in the bathroom however Brianna would tell them that it was from her period

The next day the discovery of a newborn in a trash bag would be discovered and reported to police. Brianna Moore would tell police that she did not know she was pregnant when she suddenly gave birth to the newborn. She claimed the newborn cried once then went quiet and when she checked for a pulse several minutes later she did not find one and disposed of the newborn

An autopsy of the newborn would reveal several cracked ribs and a lung hemorrhage. Brianna Moore would tell police she held the newborn tightly until it stopped crying.

Brianna Moore would be charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, child neglect with great bodily harm, failure to report a death, and unlawful storage and preservation of human remains

Brianna Moore News

The former University of Tampa student accused of killing her newborn child will be able to leave jail if she posts bonds of $262,500, a judge decided Friday.

After an hourlong court hearing, Hillsborough Chief Judge Christopher Sabella denied a request from prosecutors that Brianna L. Moore be held in jail while she awaits trial.

While noting that Moore is accused of a dangerous crime, the judge found that the state had not proven that she poses a danger to the community or that she was a flight risk.

“This is a very difficult case,” Sabella said. “It’s difficult because of how sad this case is and how egregious this case is.”

The judge ordered that if Moore bonds out of jail, she must remain in Hillsborough County while she awaits trial. She must wear a GPS ankle monitor so authorities can track her movements

A prosecutor mentioned that the 19-year-old was expelled from the university after the baby’s death in April, but a university spokesperson later clarified that she wasn’t expelled, but did not reenroll. Although she lives in Mississippi and has no ties to Tampa, the judge said her defense can ask permission from a different judge for her to return home

She is accused of aggravated manslaughter and other charges related to the baby girl’s death.

Brianna Moore shuffled into court with chains at her wrists and ankles, her long hair draping a red uniform emblazoned with the words “Hillsborough County Jail.” She gazed down through eyeglasses, avoiding the attention of news cameras as sheriff’s deputies escorted her to a defense table.

She sat quietly beside a public defender as Assistant State Attorney Lindsey Hodges presented testimony from Tampa police Detective Juan Ramos about the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s birth and death.

Brianna Moore attended the university on a biology scholarship. She lived at the time in a room in McKay Hall, with a view of downtown Tampa and the Hillsborough River. She shared her room with another student. They shared a bathroom with two other young women in an adjacent room.

Campus security officers came to the dorm the afternoon of April 27. The three women all reported that they’d heard what sounded like a baby crying in their bathroom between 7 and 9 a.m. At least one of the women said she wasn’t sure if the noise was something she heard in a dream. Someone else said they wondered if it was noise from a video or social media post being played.

“That baby was born alive,” Hodges told the judge. “That baby was breathing. She cried loud enough and long enough for the suite mates and roommates to be awoken by it.”

One of the women got up at about 8 a.m. to get ready for work, court records state. She tried twice to get in the bathroom, but the door was locked. The second time, she heard Moore call out “sorry.”

Shortly thereafter, Moore’s roommate went into the bathroom and saw blood on the floor. The sight was so alarming she took a video of it and sent it to their suite mates.

Two of the women would tell campus security officers that they had suspected for two or three months that Brianna Moore might be pregnant, according to court records. Her roommate sent Moore a text message, asking if she was OK. Moore replied that she was just having a heavy menstruation, the records state, and “wasn’t feeling good this morning.”

They told campus police they were concerned a baby might have been born. Officers searched the area around McKay Hall but found nothing.

The next day, Moore’s roommate was with a friend in the dorm room when they noticed a bloody towel in a trash can, the records state. The friend used a Styrofoam container to touch the towel and felt something hard inside it. The friend then removed the trash bag from the can and brought it outside to look for campus security.

When officers arrived, they opened the bag and found the newborn dead.

Tampa police later interviewed Brianna Moore. She admitted she’d lied to the security officers the previous day, according to court records. She described the child’s birth in detail, the records state. She said she woke up feeling unwell, went to the bathroom and was surprised to find that she was pregnant and in labor. She said she may have been in denial.

She delivered the baby on the bathroom floor. She told detectives she cut the umbilical cord with one of her fingernails.

As the baby cried, she held her tight against her chest, the records state. When the crying stopped, she said she placed the child on a towel.

She took a shower and afterward touched the baby’s chest. She felt no heartbeat. She washed the child, then wrapped her in a towel. She went back into her room, laid the bundle on the floor and went to sleep.

About an hour later, she got up and checked the baby again. She rewrapped her body and placed it in the trash.

A medical examiner found the child had multiple rib fractures along her spine, according to court records. Her cause of death was deemed to be asphyxia. The manner of death was homicide.

In court, Ramos said it would have taken between 45 seconds and four minutes for the baby to die. He said Moore was inconsistent about how long she said she held the child.

Brianna Moore was arrested Oct. 18 in Mississippi and was extradited to Tampa this week.

A future court date has not been set.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2024/11/01/university-of-tampa-baby-death-arrest-brianna-moore-ut

Sophia Koval Murders Grandmother In Florida

Sophia Koval is an alleged teen killer from Florida who has been charged with the murder of her Grandmother

According to police reports fourteen year old Sophia Koval would beat to death her eighty year old Grandmother Yevheniia Kova with the woman’s walker and a belt

Sophia Koval reportedly told her father that Yevheniia Kova had scratched her and she would attack the eighty year old woman in self defense

Sophia Koval would be arrested and has been charged with manslaughter. The fourteen year old will be tried as an adult meaning she could face life in prison

Sophia Koval News

A 14-year-old girl accused of killing her grandmother in Lauderdale Lakes after she allegedly said she struck the victim with a belt and helped her die will be charged as an adult, the Broward State Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.

Sofia Koval now faces a manslaughter charge in the May 23 killing of 79-year-old Yevheniia Koval, instead of the second-degree murder charge that she previously faced, prosecutors said in a statement.

The alleged beating happened at an apartment in the Pearl Condominiums on Northwest 41st Street. Authorities responded there after receiving a call about an unresponsive woman. They met Koval’s son, who said he’d gone to visit a friend from about 7 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. and left Koval with his 14-year-old daughter.

He said when he returned, he found Koval unresponsive on the floor with abrasions on her neck and bruising on her face, arms and legs, officials said.

According to an arrest report, the teen told her dad that her grandmother had scratched her, and she “struck the victim several times with a belt” to defend herself. She then started crying, saying “she was sorry for what she had done.”

Koval was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

The Broward Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Koval’s death a homicide, and the teen was identified as a suspect and arrested.

In a redacted arrest report, the teenager allegedly told someone in Ukrainian that “the victim was already dying and that she had helped her die.” That person advised that the Ukrainian word the teen used did not have a good translation to English, but that was what she was saying.

According to the teen’s father, Sofia Koval had recently moved from Ukraine and was displaying “behavioral issues, which he believed are from the war she witnessed in Ukraine and her being separated from her mother,” an arrest report states. He had taken her phone on the day of the killing to discipline her.

The arrest report goes on to say that after the killing, the teen was “very agitated and appeared aggressive at times. She was also constantly moving around. At this time it appeared that Sofia Koval was suffering from a possible psychotic episode.” She was subsequently Baker Acted.

On her way to the Fort Lauderdale Behavioral Health Center, Sofia Koval allegedly “made spontaneous utterances that she had killed her grandmother while her father was not at the residence” and “struck the partilion in the vehicle with her hand and caused a laceration.”

A redacted source in the report said the teen had never been diagnosed with a mental illness, but had been showing signs of aggression and being agitated. She had also not been eating or sleeping.

The redacted source also believed that the teen may have used her grandmother’s walker to hit her, because he noticed that a piece of the walker was broken.

Prosecutors formally filed the manslaughter charge against the teen on Tuesday, and she was moved from juvenile detention to the Broward County Jail where she will be held in protective custody, the state attorney’s office said.

A judge found probable cause for manslaughter and ordered her held without bond on Wednesday morning.

Though the maximum sentence for manslaughter is 15 years in prison, if convicted, the teen could be sentenced to juvenile sanctions.

“In the juvenile system, anyone found guilty and sentenced would have to be released after a maximum of three years and could only be kept under supervision in the community until age 21,” the state attorney’s office said. “Because she is not a U.S. citizen, she could be subject to deportation.”

In May, the victim’s son described his mother off-camera as faithful, humble and protective of her family.

“Because of the heinous nature of the crime and after considering everything presented by the defense so far, I believe it is appropriate that this case should be handled in adult court. We are considering all options and working closely with her attorneys at the Broward Public Defender’s Office to come up with an appropriate resolution that holds her accountable but also factors in her age and the circumstances of this offense,” State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said in a news release.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office has been in contact with the Ukranian consulate on this case.

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/14-year-old-charged-as-adult-in-killing-of-grandmother-in-lauderdale-lakes/3433353

Sophia Koval Sentencing

A 14-year-old girl accused of killing her 79-year-old grandmother in Lauderdale Lakes back in May was sentenced to a juvenile program after pleading no contest in the death, prosecutors said.

Sofia Koval entered the plea to a manslaughter charge in adult court Wednesday and was immediately sentenced to up to three years in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice maximum risk commitment program, the Broward State Attorney’s Office said.

After serving the maximum penalty in the program, she’ll be under community supervision until age 21, though it’s expected she’ll be transferred to federal custody for deportation to her native Ukraine because she is not a U.S. citizen, prosecutors said.

Koval was charged in the May 23 killing of 79-year-old Yevheniia Koval, who’d been found beaten to death.

He said when he returned, he found Koval unresponsive on the floor with abrasions on her neck and bruising on her face, arms and legs, officials said.

Yevheniia Koval was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

The state attorney’s office said prosecutors met extensively with the victim’s family before agreeing to the teen’s change of plea, and said the victim’s son, who is also the teen’s father “fully supported the outcome and thanked the prosecution, defense and judge for how they had handled the case.”

The maximum penalty the teen had been facing was up to 15 years in adult prison.

The judge overseeing the case told Koval that if she violates any of the terms of her sentence in the future she will be sent back to him and could face that maximum 15-year sentence.

“Because of the heinous nature of the crime and after considering everything presented by the defense, I believe it is appropriate that this case was transferred to adult court and that juvenile sanctions were imposed,” Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor said in a statement Wednesday. “We considered all options and worked closely with the victim’s family and with the defense attorneys at the Broward Public Defender’s Office to come up with an appropriate resolution that holds her accountable but also factors in her age and the circumstances of this offense.”

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/14-year-old-sentenced-to-juvenile-program-in-killing-of-79-year-old-grandma/3458730

Collin Griffith Murders Mother In Florida

Collin Griffith is a teen killer from Florida who is charged with the murder of his mother who bailed him out of jail after he allegedly murdered his father

According to police reports Collin Griffith was arrested and charged with the murder of his father a year ago after his father was fatally shot. Collin mother would bail him out of jail and later the charges would be dropped as Collin claimed it was self defense

However on Sunday Collin Griffith would call police and tell them that his mother, Catherine, had fallen on a knife. When EMS arrived at the scene they would find the woman dead with two stab wounds including one to her neck. When police began investigating neighbors would tell them that two hours prior Collin had dragged his mother out of the house by her hair

Collin Griffith has now been charged with the murder of his mother and authorities are going to revisit the death of his father.

Update – Colin Griffith was found not guilty of the murder of his mother

Collin Griffith News

Polk County deputies in Florida arrested a 17-year-old Sunday for allegedly murdering his mother.

Police said the Collin Griffith killed 39-year-old Catherine Griffith, of Port Charlotte, on Sunday evening, at a home in Auburndale.

The teen called 911 and when investigators arrived, he said that during an argument with his mother, she lunged at him with a knife and fell on it, causing a deep stab wound to her neck.

The sheriff’s office stated that when deputies questioned Collin Griffith at the scene, he then became uncooperative and requested a lawyer. Police later noted inconsistencies between his 911 call and the evidence at the scene.

Witnesses said they saw him arguing with his mother outside the home and dragging her inside by her hair, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Witnesses also reported hearing Catherine Griffith repeatedly plead with her son to “let me go.”

The sheriff’s office stated that Collin Griffith’s grandmother was not present during the stabbing, but told police about previous instances where her grandson had been physically and verbally confrontational with his mother.

Sheriff Grady Judd with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office called the defendant a “psychopath” during a Wednesday afternoon press conference.

A 2023 affidavit from by Lincoln County News in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, indicated that Collin Griffin, 15 at the time, shot and killed his father, Charles Robert Griffith, during a Valentine’s Day altercation.

Collin reported that an argument occurred between him and Charles, during which Charles allegedly pulled a knife and chased him through the house. Collin claimed that Charles trapped him in the bedroom, leading him to grab a gun and shoot Charles twice—once in the head and once in the chest.

The affidavit highlighted discrepancies between the scene’s evidence and Collin’s initial statement to dispatch. Although he was initially charged with murder, the charges in the 2023 case were dropped less than a month later, according to Judd.

Following his father’s death, the defendant moved in with his mother in Florida.

Collin Griffith remains behind bars without bail on murder charges.

‘Psychopath’ Florida Teen Accused of Killing Father in 2023 Murders Mother in Brutal Weekend Attack: Police

Colin Griffith Found Not Guilty

A Florida teenager accused of murdering his mother was found not guilty on all charges.

Collin Griffith previously killed his father in self-defense.

In September, Catherine Griffith died from a stab wound, and her son called 911 saying she had fell on a knife.

“He has painted a picture that his mom lunged at him with a knife, tripped, and somehow fell on the knife. That’s preposterous,” the state prosecutor said.

Prior to moving in with his mother, Griffith had also killed his father in Oklahoma, which was ruled as self-defense.

Collin’s grandfather also spoke about a concerning conversation he had with Collin just months before Catherine’s death.

“He said ‘my mom, I keep thinking over and over I want to slit her throat, I want her to bleed out, I want to smell the blood’,” Catherine’s father Robert Walantas testified.

The teen’s defense team told the jury he acted in self-defense the day his mother died, and told the jury that Catherine committed “suicide by son”.

The teen’s grandmother confirmed that Catherine had numerous suicidal attempts.

Ring camera video played during the court hearing revealed that Catherine drove from Port Charlotte to Auberndale to get her son the day she died, because she was afraid of him violating his ongoing court orders.

The defense argued that Collin made it known multiple times that he will defend himself if his mother attacks him.

“He’s telling people ‘I don’t feel safe, I don’t want to go back with my mom’ and they kept making him do that,” Defense Attorney Amy Porinchak Thornhill said.

After less than 12 hours of deliberation Collin Griffith was found not guilty by the jury, on both the murder and kidnapping charges.

Friends of the family said they are unsure of where he will live once he is released.

https://abc7chicago.com/post/florida-teen-collin-griffith-found-not-guilty-killing-mom-catherine-2-years-gunning-down-dad/15873550

Shawn Gossett Murders 4 In Fatal Florida Fire

Shawn Gossett is an alleged killer from Florida who has been charged with the murders of four people and of three dogs

According to police reports a fire would rage through a home in Plant City Florida killing four members of the family and killing three of their dogs. The only resident of the home not injured was Shawn Gossett

After speaking with police Shawn Gossett would reportedly admit to setting the house on fire however he would not give officers any reason on why. Shawn Gossett was not related to the family that died

Shawn Gossett would be arrested and has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder along with charges of animal cruelty and arson.

Shawn Gossett News

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man after he intentionally started a house fire, resulting in the deaths of four people and three dogs.

On July 31, 2024, at 12:08 a.m., HCSO received a call about a potential fire on South County Line Road.

While Hillsborough County Fire Rescue was extinguishing the house fire, they discovered four deceased adults inside.

Through investigative means, detectives learned Shawn Gossett, 25, a resident of the home, started the fire with the intent to burn the house down.

Based on the investigation, detectives arrested and charged Gossett with four counts of Murder in the First Degree While Engaged in Arson, three counts of Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, and one count of Arson of a Dwelling.

“This is an utterly senseless and horrific crime where four innocent lives were tragically taken due to the evil actions of this man,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “I want to commend our detectives and our partners at Hillsborough County Fire Rescue for their swift actions which resulted in the arrest of this individual and their relentless efforts to ensure justice is served.”

At this time, HCSO is working in collaboration with the Medical Examiner’s Office and Hillsborough County Fire Rescue on positively identifying the victims. This information will be released once it is available.

Shawn Gossett Other News

Hillsborough County 911 dispatchers received a terrifying call just after midnight Wednesday morning — three people and five dogs were trapped in a burning home near Plant City.

Rescuers arrived to find a house roaring with fire. They discovered three people in one part of the home and pulled them out a window. They found a fourth in another part of the home.

All were dead. So were three dogs.

Hours later, sheriff’s officials announced a swift arrest: A man who had lived at the house had intentionally set it ablaze with a Bic lighter and paper towels.

The people killed were all family members, though the man accused of the crimes, Shawn Gossett, 25, was not. He was charged with four counts of first-degree murder along with charges of animal cruelty and arson.

Sheriff’s officials said Gossett, who was uninjured, admitted to the crimes, but his motive was unclear.

“This is an utterly senseless and horrific crime where four innocent lives were tragically taken due to the evil actions of this man,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news release.

In a news conference, Hillsborough Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer told reporters that Gossett was friends with the family and they lived together at 6655 S. County Line Road.

Firefighters arrived there about eight minutes after being dispatched and worked to put out the blaze, fire rescue officials said. Crews brought the fire under control within 20 minutes.

The sheriff’s office is working with the Medical Examiner’s Office and Fire Rescue to identify the victims.

Property records show the main building on the 3.85-acre property is a two-bedroom manufactured home built in 1994. Edison Arias bought the property in 2020.

Arias declined to comment when reached Wednesday morning before the sheriff’s office announced Gossett’s arres

https://www.tampabay.com/news/breaking-news/2024/07/31/4-found-dead-plant-city-house-fire