Police believe a Florida deputy killed his girlfriend, who was a mother of two, before he took his own life in a shocking murder-suicide.
Authorities with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office said during a press conference on Monday, August 10, that Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Troy Savetz was in the front yard of the woman’s home as he waited for her and her two children to return from the beach that evening.
The woman told the children, who are 9 and 12 years old, to run inside and call for help before she started to fight with Savetz, 47, over a TV he wanted back after they broke up.
She then tried to call for help, but Savetz allegedly grabbed her phone as she called 911.
Police reported to the woman’s home around 5:30 p.m. and learned that Savetz had fled the scene with the victim. Authorities concluded that Savetz kidnapped the victim in a rental car, which police managed to track down about six miles away at Platinum Drive in Spring Hill around 7 p.m.
Once they located the car, police found both Savetz and the woman dead inside of the vehicle with gunshot wounds.
Police have not yet publicly announced the victim’s name.
During the press conference, authorities applauded the victim for making sure her children were safe during the incident. “We listened to that 911 tape and we know that your mother said to go inside, save your lives and call 911,” Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said. “Your mom is looking down from heaven, and she is so proud of you. … You two did the right thing, you did exactly what your mom wanted you to do.”
The two children are now in the care of their biological father.
“Those two children should be starting off this week getting ready for school,” Nocco said during the press conference. “But what they’re getting ready for instead is a sad life without their mother.”
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri confirmed that Savetz worked for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for 14 years and he was assigned to the marine unit.
Gualtieri condemned Savetz’s actions and said that what he did was “inexcusable.”
“The moment this individual committed a crime he was no longer a law enforcement officer. He was a criminal,” Gualtieri added.
Not much is known about Savetz’s relationship with the victim, but police said that they were involved in a “tumultuous” on-off relationship.
The investigation into the murder-suicide remains ongoing.
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