Inset: Lennie J. Dufrene Jr. (Broward County Sheriff's Office). Background: The Florida Wawa where authorities found the victim after the alleged assault (Google Maps).
A 58-year-old Florida landlord allegedly threatened to kill his tenant before beating him unconscious after the victim returned home and discovered the property's lock code had been changed.
Lennie J. Dufrene Jr. was arrested and charged with one count of felony battery for allegedly punching and choking the tenant so severely that he suffered multiple facial fractures and a broken nose, court records show.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Davie police first responded to Dufrene's residence on June 22, after he reported that his tenant was "destroying the property." Officers met with both men, and the tenant was transported to a medical facility under the Baker Act, a law allowing for the temporary detention and examination of individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
Before officers left, Dufrene allegedly warned that if the tenant returned to the home after being released from the hospital, "he would kill him," the affidavit states. Officers responded that Dufrene would "go to prison" if he followed through on the threat.
Dufrene allegedly replied, "Okay then I'll just beat the s— out of him."
"You will go to jail if you do that," the officers said.
After being released from the hospital, the tenant returned to his residence and discovered the code to the home's lock had been changed.
As the tenant attempted to get inside, Dufrene came outside and "began punching [the victim] repeatedly in the face until he lost consciousness," police wrote.
The tenant told investigators he "woke up face down" on the ground "to find Dufrene on top of him punching him in the back of the head." Dufrene then allegedly choked the victim, causing him to lose consciousness a second time.
After regaining consciousness, the tenant left the property because he was locked out of the residence and wandered the area. He later told investigators he believed "Dufrene was trying to kill him."
Police later responded to a Wawa convenience store on Davie Road after employees reported that a man, later identified as the victim, had remained on the property for an extended period and appeared to have been severely beaten. Responding officers recognized the tenant from the previous day's landlord-tenant dispute, according to the affidavit.
The tenant provided officers with a sworn statement describing the alleged assault before he was taken to HCA Florida University Hospital for treatment. Doctors determined he had suffered a left orbital floor fracture and multiple nasal fractures, the affidavit states.
Detectives concluded there was probable cause to arrest Dufrene on a charge of felony battery. Dufrene was processed at the Broward County Jail and released after posting a bond of $15,000. It was not immediately clear when he was scheduled to appear in court.