Jonathon Jerome Segar shot and killed his ex-girlfriend Ariel Griffin, according to cops. He was found dead in Georgia. (Images: Williston Police Department)
A man who fled and crossed state lines after shooting and killing the mother of his toddler is dead, although authorities used decidedly cryptic language to convey this information.
Police in Williston, Florida, have announced that Jonathon Jerome Segar, 31, was killed by a gunshot would in Georgia. Segar had reportedly fled the central Florida city after shooting and killing Ariel Griffin, 30, with whom he shared a child. Law enforcement found Segar on Monday evening.
Williston Police Chief Mike Rolls delivered the news Monday in a somewhat circuitous fashion.
“With the dedicated support of other law enforcement agencies the suspect has been located and is no longer a threat to the public and the victim’s family,” he said Monday in a statement on Facebook. “Additional information will be released as it is available. At this time please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
Rolls told WCJB that Segar died of a gunshot wound in Georgia. The lawman did not elaborate on who pulled the trigger, nor did he describe the immediate circumstances when Segar died.
Rolls said on Facebook that officers responded Monday at 5:17 a.m. to Monterey Boats in Willison about a shooting. They found Griffin shot to death, and they identified her ex — Segar — as the suspect. The chief said they found probable cause for premeditated murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“Segar and the victim have a prior domestic relationship,” Rolls said.
At the time, the chief described Segar as last seen driving a Chevrolet truck with blue and yellow graphics for “DGD” Discount Garage Doors. He claimed that Segar, who was considered armed and dangerous, fled before they arrived. They did not think he was in Levy County anymore, sparking a manhunt.
“Message to the suspect,” Rolls wrote at the time. “Turn yourself in or continue to look over your shoulder because we are coming.”
Deputies in Levy County said they had responded twice over the weekend to separate domestic disputes involving Segar, according to WCJB. Griffin’s family told the outlet she attempted to call law enforcement about Segar, but nothing happened.
“Somebody should have been there,” said Diane Powell, Griffin’s mother. “You know, when she called the sheriff’s department from my house in Ocala, at 6:00 yesterday and told them she was afraid to go home. Thankfully she didn’t go home because he broke into her house in the middle of the night when she wasn’t there.”
Griffin made both calls for service this weekend, the Levy County Sheriff’s Office told Law&Crime. The first one happened Saturday at 5:20 p.m.
“The caller, Ariel Griffin, reported her ex-boyfriend Jonathan Sager was threatening her and her new boyfriend,” deputies said, using a different spelling of the suspect’s last name. “The investigation revealed that at 3:00 p.m. Sager drove to and parked near her home and began yelling at the new boyfriend to come outside to fight. Sager was seen twirling something similar to an oyster knife in his hand, but he never exited his vehicle nor did he threaten anyone with the object. The boyfriend would not go outside and Sager eventually left.”
Deputies reached Segar by phone, but he was uncooperative, refusing to telling them his whereabouts or meet them to give a statement, they said. Authorities said that they lacked enough information to arrest him.
Then came the other call.
“On Sunday, 6/18/23 at 9:20 a.m. Deputies responded to a second call for service at the same address,” they wrote. “Deputies arrived and during their investigation discovered that Sager went to the home of Ariel Griffin unannounced. Griffin opened the door and Sager pushed past her. Sager physically assaulted the boyfriend inside. The parties separated and Sager had fled prior to the deputies arriving.”
Deputies said they filed an arrest warrant for Segar under the charge burglary with a battery.
“Sager again did not cooperate with the investigation nor would he meet with deputies to provide a statement,” they wrote. “Deputies had been searching for him since this incident. Deputies made multiple phone calls in attempts to locate him. When he did answer, he was evasive and would not tell deputies where he could be found. Deputies actively searched for him at his known residence and locations where he frequented.”
Family said they will always remember Griffin for her “beautiful soul.”
“She’d give you the shirt off her back,” Powell said. “She did everything in her life for those two babies. She was the kindest, givingist, beautiful soul. Beautiful soul. She was beautiful inside and out.”
Note: We added a statement from the Levy County Sheriff’s Office.
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