Florida – A Florida man was convicted last week of second-degree murder in the death of his girIfriend, 50-year-old CIaudette in Florida earlier this year. The jury also found him guilty of tampering with evidence. Sentencing is scheduled for next week, where he faces up to Iife in prison.
The incident occurred in Feb. when the victim was found dead inside her residence. Her body showed signs of severe physical trauma, including bruises, broken ribs, a fractured breastbone, and injuries to her throat. Despite attempts to contact friends and family for help, the defendant, 38-year-old Davarus, did not call 911 or seek medical attention for the woman.
A family member eventually called 911 at 3:29 p.m., prompting a response from the local police department. Officers located the defendant two hours later and took him into custody. During questioning, he claimed that the victim had fallen twice that morning, attributing her injuries to these falls. However, investigators discovered that the victim’s phone contained search history entries such as “how to determine if someone is dead,” “how long someone can live off CPR,” and “how to tell if someone has been choked by the neck.”
The medical examiner determined that the victim’s cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma and manual strangulation. The severity and nature of her injuries were described as being similar to those seen in a car crash. According to the Florida authorities, the woman who called 911 told officers that the defendant asked her to check on the victim.
When she entered the home, she saw the victim sitting in a recliner with a bruise sealing her right eye shut and noted that the victim was cold to the touch. She said the defendant suggested the injuries were from a fall and remarked that the situation was not going to look good. After she went to her car to call police, he had already left. When deputies had her call the man on speaker, he said he would have to tell them about last night and that the victim was dead, then hung up when he realized the Florida authoriteis were listening.
In an interview after his arrest, the defendant said he had been dating the victim for two years and living with her for about a year. He claimed they argued the night before about the victim giving his personal items away without permission, which angered him. He also said he tried to grab her arm, and she fell and hit the back of her head after yanking her arm away. When Florida authorities questioned how she could have facial injuries from that fall, he said she fell in a twisting motion, hitting her face first and then the back of her head.
He also stated that the victim got up wobbly and walked to the bathroom, where he heard a crash. He said he went to check on her, helped her up, and guided her to the bed where they lay together. He recounted that she stopped talking and just held him. The defendant said he continued to check her pulse and breathing because he was concerned she would die.
At one point, he said the woman was shaking and her eyes were rolling back, so he poured cold water on her, which caused her to grab him again. He also said that he was satisfied because he believed she was not dead, eventually fell asleep, and awoke the next morning around 7 a.m., noticing she was breathing very slowly. After that, he went to meet his parole officer, and upon returning, he told the victim that he was there to take care of her. When he tried to pick her up, she felt stiff, which led him to call friends for help.