Man accidentally incriminates himself by texting detectives "I think they are going to arrest me."
DUNNELLON, Fla. (FOX 35 WOFL) - The Marion County Sheriff's Office says that a man, identified as 52-year-old David Romig, was arrested for reporting an alleged home invasion on Tuesday, January 30th, in an effort to cover up the murder of his live-in girlfriend, 64-year-old Sally Kaufmann-Ruff.
The sheriff's office went on to say that Romig told deputies at the time of the incident that an unknown armed subject entered his home located on SW 122nd Court in Dunnellon in the early morning hours of Tuesday. Romig said that Kaufmann-Ruff had been shot during an altercation between Romig and the subject.
However, during the investigation, deputies said that evidence proved that David's initial testimony was false and that he had staged the scene to support the presence of an intruder after he had shot Kaufmann-Ruff during an "out-of-body" experience.
Deputies say that although Kaufmann-Ruff was immediately issued medical attention and transported to the hospital upon arrival, she later passed away from her injuries.
Marion County Sheriff's Office forensic technicians processed evidence while on scene. They say that a metal smoking pipe was found in the front yard and a piece of cloth was found on the door frame. Romig initially said these items must have come from the suspect, but Romig's DNA was found on both items.
Romig also reportedly sent several incriminating text messages to detectives and his wife the day of the incident. The sheriff's office says that Romig texted detectives the morning of January 30th saying "I think they are going to arrest me." But, Romig told detectives that the text was meant for his wife and that he had accidentally sent it to them.
Romig also reportedly texted his wife on January 30th saying "I'm afraid I did something I don't remember." Romig further stated, "If I did this I will kill myself."