A Florida pastor and his wife were gunned down by the deceased woman’s ex-husband just a week after they got married. In the wake of the fatal Saturday incident, the suspect, identified as 46-year-old Sony Josaphat, admitted to the double murder and said he shot and killed his ex-wife and her husband after “anger took over him” when he saw the newlyweds, WPEC reported.
The arrest report stated that Josaphat also contacted his pastor and informed him about the killings. The suspect’s daughter also witnessed the killings and reported what had occurred to authorities. The 46-year-old, who later turned himself in at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Headquarters, has since been charged with two counts of premeditated murder. He is also being held without bond at the Palm Beach County Jail.
In an interview with WPTV, an individual who identified herself as the victim’s sister said the deceased woman got married on her birthday. “She has never been as happy as she was now,” she said.
She also said her deceased sister’s three children were in the home when the fatal shootings occurred. “I heard what sounded like gunshots, but I thought people were just working on someone’s roof so I ignored it and went into the house and then later when I went back outside that’s when I saw all the police activity out here,” neighbor Dicter Pineda said.
Deanne Germeil, who is also a neighbor, described the killings as shocking. “It’s pretty quiet and we don’t have too many things over here so I don’t know how this happened,” said Germeil.
The sheriff’s office in a statement also said the family has “invoked Marsy’s Law” for the victims – meaning that their identities would not be made public, NBC News reported. “Let’s keep them in thought and prayer during this difficult time,” the statement added.
