Global Courant 2023-06-01 01:04:39
A Florida high school teacher was stabbed to death by her fiancé before shooting herself in a murder-suicide that left her infant daughter alone in her crib for 11 hours, officials said.
The 25-year-old man, whose name has not been released, fatally stabbed Amanda Hicks, 26, at their Port St. Lucie apartment on May 27, according to a press release.
“The man repeatedly tried to call a family member. Then a single gunshot was heard on video surveillance,” Port St. Lucie Police Sgt. John Dellacroce told Fox News Digital.
The last call to the family member was made at 11:50 pm and the gunshot was heard at 12:47 am, when police believe the man committed suicide.
FLORIDA MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER FOUND MURDERED AT HOME NEAR HER WOOING INFANT
Amanda Hicks, a high school teacher in Florida, was killed Saturday by her fiancé in a murder-suicide. Her little girl, Alani, was present in the apartment. (Martin County School District/Facebook)
“His relative didn’t pick up the phone and the next morning saw all these missed calls and tried to call him back but couldn’t get a hold of him,” Dellacroce said. The family member then called 911 to request a welfare check.
Officers arrived at the Peacock Run Apartments around 11:45 a.m. to find two bodies on the floor through the rear sliding glass doors and heard Hicks’ 10-month-old Alani wail.
They forced their way into the house and found the child unharmed. The baby is now with a relative.
“Obviously something happened inside that led to him stabbing her and shooting himself,” added Dellacroce. “That’s all still under investigation.”
26-year-old Florida teacher Amanda Hicks was stabbed to death by her fiancé in a murder-suicide while her infant daughter was at home. (Instagram/Angellink)
The couple had moved to the apartment complex of three floors a few weeks earlier, and it was the first time the police responded to the address. Police have not revealed whether the fiancée is the child’s father.
One of Hicks’ neighbors told TCPalm on Monday that she heard a scream from the couple’s apartment at about 11:30 p.m. Friday night.
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“I heard a really loud, screeching scream,” 56-year-old Monica Ventura told the local newspaper. “That scream stays in my head.”
The director of the dr. David L. Anderson Middle School, where Hicks has taught sixth and seventh grades since 2019, emailed staff over the weekend.
Murdered Florida teacher Amanda Hicks poses with her brother Eric Hicks. (Facebook)
“While words will never be enough to convey the shock and sadness this news has brought to our school family, it is more important than ever to come together to support each other through our grief journey,” the post read.
Global Courant
A friend launched one Angel Link fundraiser for the family of the murdered mother.
“She will be greatly missed and did not deserve to leave this world so soon at the hands of someone else,” the page says.
Her brother, Eric Hicks, wrote on Facebook, “You all want to help us all raise money for my sister and stuff’s funeral and service.”
Rebecca Rosenberg is an accomplished journalist and author of books with a focus on crime and criminal justice. Email tips to rebecca.rosenberg@fox.com and @ReRosenberg.
