MARTIN COUNTY — An Okeechobee couple was arrested June 3 after a man with stab wounds died after being found unresponsive along Southwest Martin Highway, sheriff’s officials said.
Richard Francis Vincent Pepe, 35, of Vero Beach, was found unresponsive lying along Southwest Martin Highway around 10 p.m. May 31, a mile east of PlantBamboo, where Mudfest was being held.
Jacob Robert Allen Stevens, 34, of Okeechobee, was arrested on a charge of first degree premeditated murder, while Meagon Nicole Brown, 39, of Okeechobee, was arrested on a charge of accessory after the fact to felony after investigators said she drove Stevens to and from stabbing Pepe. Both in Martin County Jail without bond, according to their arrest affidavits.
Maj. Ruben Romero said Pepe got into a fight with his girlfriend at Mudfest, another friend got involved, and called Brown and Stevens. Pepe decided to separate himself from the situation, left the event, and began walking east on Southwest Martin Highway because he did not have a vehicle at the event.
Brown and Stevens were called and told about the fight and “took matters into their own hands” according to Romero. He said they were not at Mudfest. Brown drove them over from Vero Beach; they saw Pepe walking, and Stevens got out of the car to confront Pepe. He stabbed him twice before Brown drove them away.
“I think this is a situation that is just sad because it was somebody involved that didn’t have to be involved,” Romero said. “I don’t know that they ever thought this would end in a murder.”
Romero said Pepe called 911 himself that night to report his stab wounds and he did not know who stabbed him. He said no one witnessed Pepe being stabbed, but people driving by saw him lying on the side of the road, stopped to help him, and called 911.
“It is a dark area, he doesn’t know who actually stabbed him and never made any statements as to who it could have been, but he did know people were called to the scene to confront him about the altercation,” Romero said.
Deputies at Mudfest working the event were on scene within minutes and Pepe was still alive so they began rendering aid. Fire rescue was called and transported Pepe to Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital in Port St. Lucie where he later died from his stab wounds.
Romero said the deputies working the event did not witness the fight with Pepe and his girlfriend, but some of the food vendors did.
Romero said the investigation is still open. The Okeechobee Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals Task Force are assisting in the investigation. Detectives are still looking for the weapon that was used to stab Pepe.
(This story was updated with a video.)
Olivia Franklin is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Olivia on X @Livvvvv_5 or reach her by phone at 317-627-8048. E-mail her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Martin County Sheriff’s Office arrests two after man’s death following Mudfest incident
Reporting by Olivia Franklin, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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