Retired nurse, 67, stabbed, hit on head with wine bottle, killed by former roommate, deputies say
DAVENPORT, Fla. - A retired nurse was stabbed and killed in his Davenport home by a young man he took in, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a news conference Tuesday. The nurse's 19-year-old former roommate is facing charges in connection to the man's death.
Sheriff Grady Judd spoke at a Dec. 16 press conference about a stabbing suspect.
What we know:
On Sunday, the Polk County Sheriff's Office received a call around 1:30 p.m. from a concerned resident in the Polo Park West retirement community about their neighbor, who they hadn't seen in a few days.
Sheriff Grady Judd spoke at a Dec. 16 press conference about a stabbing suspect.
The neighbor – a retired nurse identified as 67-year-old John Torneo – was described by Sheriff Grady Judd as a "super human being who always wanted to help people."
"John had a history of helping those less fortunate," Judd said. "John had a history of wanting to provide and make a positive difference."
Torneo recently took in a 19-year-old, but had asked him to leave his house on Dec. 10 due to not helping with the rent, Judd said.
As the neighbor entered the home to check on Torneo, a deputy remained outside and checked the sheriff's office's Real Time Crime Center. The deputy noticed that someone was traveling in Torneo's vehicle. The deputy assumed that Torneo wasn't home, Judd said. However, later that day, the resident still couldn't contact Torneo.
A few neighbors entered Torneo's home and found Torneo's body behind a locked door. He had been dead for hours, Judd said.
"There's John dead, disemboweled, eviscerated on the floor," Judd said. He had been severely cut in the stomach, Judd said, adding that the autopsy revealed that he'd also been hit in the head.
Polk County Sheriff Press Conference
A 19-year-old identified as a suspect
The sheriff's office identified Torneo's roommate – Julian Andra Trevino, 19 – as a suspect in Torneo's murder. Trevino had been living with Torneo since September, Judd said.
Torneo's bank card had been used at a pizza restaurant where Trevino worked as a dishwasher and at Circle K, the sheriff's office said.
On Monday, Torneo's vehicle was tracked to a nearby neighborhood, where Trevino crashed in a ditch and ran. Deputies chased him in a foot pursuit. Torneo's bank card was found in Trevino's possession, the sheriff's office said.
According to the sheriff's office, Trevino admitted to killing Torneo over money.
Julian Trevino, 19, is accused of killing a man by stabbing him with a knife and hitting him over the head with a wine bottle.
"The suspect admitted to my detectives that he broke in through a window and was confronted by Mr. Torneo. The suspect grabbed a knife from the kitchen then intentionally attacked and fatally cut Mr. Torneo. He was then hit over the head with a wine bottle multiple times. The suspect’s motive for the burglary was to steal money, and his actions resulted in Mr. Torneo suffering a very painful death," Judd said in a released statement.
Trevino reportedly told deputies that he was angry he was put out of Torneo's home, wanting to be closer to his girlfriend. He had snuck back into Torneo's home around 4 a.m., Sunday, through the bathroom and stole cash and credit cards. A confrontation between the two led to Trevino stabbing Torneo with a kitchen knife, Judd said. Torneo was also hit in the head with a wine bottle.
Trevino later threw the knife and wine bottle into a nearby creek. The sheriff's office recovered these weapons.
"There's no reason for it," Judd said. "It's just vicious and violent and should have never occurred."
Sheriff Grady Judd displayed the weapons they say were used to kill a retired nurse in Davenport.
Trevino is facing several charges including: First-degree murder, armed robbery, tampering with evidence in a felony, armed burglary of a dwelling, burglary of an occupied dwelling, obtain property by force, criminal use of personal identification, tampering with a victim, grand theft from a dwelling, grand theft motor vehicle, fleeing to elude, theft of bank card, fraudulent use of a bank card, resisting without violence, petit theft and driving without a valid license.
Deputy pulled from patrol for more training
The deputy initially assigned to this case – who had been with the sheriff's office for one year – has been removed from patrol for additional training, Judd said.
"She can no longer work by herself until she goes back through our third phase of training again," the sheriff said, saying he estimated that the deputy did "just enough, but didn't go above and beyond. "
"Had she gone above and beyond, had she walked around the perimeter of the house, she would have seen a screen off of the bathroom window," he said.
Judd assured that qualified investigators – who only have two unsolved homicides in 18 years – are on this case.
What's next:
The sheriff's office is working on locating Torneo's next of kin.
The Source: Information in this story was sourced from the Polk County Sheriff's Office.