Background: News footage of the home in Sanford, Fla., where Bill Toth was shot on Feb. 3 (WOFL). Inset: Shaun Simon (Seminole County Sheriff's Office).
A Florida man is charged with murder after police said he admitted to fatally shooting his "narcissist" father-in-law.
Shaun Simon, 42, made his first court appearance on Wednesday after being charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Bill Toth. According to an arrest report reviewed by Law&Crime, Bill Toth was the father of Simon's wife, Jennifer Simon, and the couple lived with her parents, Bill and Carol Toth. Late Tuesday night, deputies from the Seminole County Sheriff's Office responded to the home in Sanford after receiving reports of a shooting.
When deputies arrived, fire rescue personnel were already providing lifesaving aid to Bill Toth, who died after being brought to the hospital.
Shaun Simon and Jennifer Simon, along with her mother Carol Toth, were all brought to the sheriff's office for questioning following the shooting. Jennifer Simon and Carol Toth both told police that Bill Toth had been showing signs of dementia in the months leading up to the shooting. His purported condition had caused "ongoing turmoil" in the home, along with a recent suspicion that he had been cheating on Carol Toth.
The mother and daughter told police that earlier Tuesday evening, Bill Toth "slapped" Carol Toth, who went to the bedroom where her daughter and son-in-law were and told them about the alleged incident. They said Shaun Simon appeared "visibly upset" by the news, and he quickly left the room to confront Bill Toth.
Shortly after Shaun Simon left the bedroom, the mother and daughter heard a loud "bang." They went down to the kitchen and saw Bill Toth "lying on the kitchen floor, staring blankly at the ceiling."
Shaun Simon was read his rights by police and continued to speak during his questioning. He told police that upon hearing that Bill Toth had struck his mother-in-law, he "made the decision to shoot Bill Toth." Police said Shaun Simon admitted to retrieving a handgun from underneath a "makeshift 'dog ramp'" and shooting Bill Toth once in the chest in the home's kitchen.
According to the report, Shaun Simon told police that he unloaded the handgun "knowing that law enforcement would be arriving shortly." He told police that Bill Toth was a "narcissist" who was "making his life miserable."
Shaun Simon was charged with first-degree premeditated murder and ordered to be held without bail. His arraignment is scheduled for March 24.
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