Background: Chatum Light Run in Bradenton, Fla., where one of Susan Avalon's ex-husbands was allegedly shot (Google Maps). Inset: Susan Avalon (Manatee County Sheriff's Office).
A Florida woman was charged with second-degree homicide after police said she went to both of her ex-husbands' homes and shot them dead.
Susan Avalon, 51, was arrested after authorities with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office tracked her down at her home in Citrus County. During a press conference on Thursday, Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells stated that when deputies approached Avalon at her house and waited for Citrus County police, they saw Avalon come out of her home with "bleach and cleaning rags," then got inside the silver Honda Odyssey parked in her driveway and began to "wipe down the car."
Wells said that when detectives told Avalon they were there to talk about her ex-husband, she responded, "Which one?"
According to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, the investigation began when deputies responded to calls of a shooting at a home in Bradenton, Florida, on Wednesday afternoon. When authorities arrived, they found a 54-year-old man who had been shot twice, but he was still alert and able to talk. Deputies asked him, "Who could have done this to you?" The man responded, "Possibly my ex-wife."
Wells said that the man's 15-year-old daughter, whom he shared with Avalon, was in the home at the time. While she did not see the alleged shooting, she heard three shots fired. After hearing the gunshots, she looked out the window and saw a silver Honda Odyssey driving away. The 15-year-old, who was "traumatized" from the incident, saw that the alleged shooter was wearing a gray sweatshirt and a surgical mask, police said.
The man was taken to the hospital and died on Wednesday evening of gunshot wounds.
Once detectives began investigating the scene at the Bradenton home, they discovered that the suspect had brought a bag of food from Panera Bread to the house. When the man opened his front door, Wells said that the suspect "start[ed] to fire immediately." Investigators went to a Panera location about a mile and a half away and obtained surveillance video that showed the suspect enter the restaurant, walk over to the food delivery stand where DoorDash and Uber Eats drivers pick up their orders, and take a bag of food before walking out.
"Doesn't pay for it, it's not hers," Wells said. "She just decides this is gonna be her way to the front door."
Investigators found out that the alleged victim was once married to Avalon, and the couple got divorced 11 years ago. Avalon allegedly owed him "about $4,000" in child support. Police also found out that Avalon drove a silver Honda Odyssey.
After Avalon told Manatee County Sheriff's deputies that she had more than one ex-husband, Wells said that she started making comments about her ex-husband being a "molester" and "child abuser." It also became evident to deputies that Avalon believed the officers on scene were from Hillsborough County, and she was talking about a different ex-husband.
When deputies spoke to Avalon's live-in boyfriend, he told them that Avalon said to him on Tuesday, "in case something happens to her, that she loves him, and she just wanted him to know that." He described the interaction as "out of character" for her.
Investigators looked into Avalon's second ex-husband, who lived in Tampa, in Hillsborough County. Officers from the Tampa Police Department responded to the second ex-husband's home and got no response when they tried to make contact. Manatee County Sheriff's deputies advised them that Avalon had "beef with both these ex-husbands" and to "search hard." Tampa police walked around the home and found damage to the back door. After making entry, they found the second ex-husband dead of gunshot wounds.
Wells said that detectives spoke to Avalon's boyfriend again. He told them that he saw Avalon come home wearing the same gray sweatshirt seen in surveillance videos at Panera and then went "into the shower with her clothes on."
Avalon was arrested by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office and charged with second-degree homicide. Wells said that they would work with the state attorney to obtain an upgrade to first-degree murder and pursue the death penalty, telling reporters, "She knew what she was doing. It was planned."
Avalon may also face charges in Hillsborough County. She is currently in custody in Citrus County.
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