Over five steamy July days, Lee County found itself deep in the throes of four unrelated murders, sending families into shock, law enforcement officers into overdrive and a community grappling to understand why.
The lives of a mother, a girlfriend, a teenage boy and an adult man ended abruptly, each involving guns.
At least three, if not all four, knew their accused killers. Authorities arrested people in two of the incidents within hours, while a third remained unsolved Thursday morning and a fourth died likely prior to a police shootout Wednesday in which the shooter died.
Here is what we know:
Saturday, July 25: Fort Myers man kills mother, sets body on fire
Synopsis: Lee County EMS received a call from George Beemer, 23, saying he had chest pains about 10 a.m. Saturday, July 25. Within five minutes of him leaving for the hospital, a friend who Beemer had called to the scene reported smoke coming from the house. Firefighters found a charred body, identified in Lee County Sheriff’s reports as Beemer’s mother, Elizabeth Beemer, 57, and a gun with a suppressor on it. The friend told police Beemer told him he killed his mother.
The accused: George Beemer told police he and his divorced parents fought often and he had “had enough.”
Case status: Judge Robert Branning on Wednesday, July 29, ordered Beemer held without bond until his trial despite his defense attorney’s request for home detention.
What’s next: Beemer is next due before Branning for his arraignment on Aug. 24 and faces charges of second-degree murder, first-degree arson and abuse of a body.
Monday, July 27: Fort Myers man kills woman days after breakup
Synopsis: Fort Myers Police responded to the Village Creek Apartment complex off Winkler where they found a XX-year-old woman facedown in a pool of blood at the bottom of a stairwell not quite 72 hours after breaking up with her boyfriend. Witnesses reported they saw a man flee after hearing shots fired and the woman scream “Help” and “Mom” in Portuguese.
The accused: Willian Rosa Do’Amaral, 27, told police he followed the woman late Sunday to Village Creek Apartments where her former boyfriend lived. Rosa Do’Amaral waited until the boyfriend left July 27 and entered the unlocked apartment. He shot her once, and, as she tried to run, shot her a second time.
Case status: Fort Myers Police arrested Rosa Do’Amaral and he remains in Lee County Jail, held without bond.
What’s next: He goes before Judge Robert Branning on Aug. 30 and faces a second-degree murder charge.
Monday, July 27: Lehigh Acres teen dies in mystery shooting
Synopsis: Deputies have not released information in the homicide other than a 15-year-old boy was shot to death. Lee County sheriff’s deputies responded to a home in the 4500 block of 22nd Street Southwest about 6:30 a.m. July 27. By Sunday night, Aug. 2, Sheriff Carmine Marceno had not released additional information.
Who: GoFundMe accounts indicate the child is Matthew Kymani Stmark, the campaign of which says: Matthew was loved deeply, and his kindness touched everyone he met. He always showed respect to others and had a gentle spirit that made him special to all who knew him. The community has rallied with a vigil and fundraisers for the family.
Case status: LCSO’s Special Operations Unit executed two search warrants Wednesday and Thursday in the same neighborhood as the shooting as part of the ongoing investigation. Marceno did not say if they warrants are related to the shooting.
What’s next: Detectives are gathering information and hope to have an arrest soon.
Wednesday, July 29: Fort Myers man dies in police standoff
Synopsis: The Fort Myers Police Department responded to an apartment complex on Maravilla Avenue around 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 29, concerning a disturbance involving a firearm. Upon arrival, police said they received information that someone in the apartment had been killed and a suspect had barricaded himself inside the apartment. The response closed U.S. 41 for more than 2 hours before reopening.
Who: Aaron Spencer, 27, died in a hail of gunfire after barricading himself in an apartment where police later found an adult male’s body. Police did not identify the second man.
Case status: Spencer died in the incident, meaning no charges will be filed. Detectives will piece together the two deaths.
What’s next: The officers involved in the shooting were placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of the investigation. It remained unclear how many officers fired their service weapons.
This report is compiled by News-Press journalists Tayeba Hussein, Tomas Rodriguez and Stacey Henson from arrest reports.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Four possible Lee County murders in five days: What we know
Reporting by Stacey Henson, Tayeba Hussein and Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Stacey Henson, Tayeba Hussein and Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
