PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. – A man in Florida is accused of murdering his ex-wife a week after she married her new husband, authorities said, according to multiple reports.
Deputies with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office responded to gunfire Saturday morning at a home in the 12000 block of Summit Run Cir. in West Palm Beach. Upon arrival, they discovered a man and woman dead with gunshot wounds. The sheriff’s office initially said a “person of interest” was identified and there was no further threat to the community, as they were also in the process of obtaining a search warrant for the property.
On Monday, PBSO said a suspect has been arrested. He was identified as Sony Josaphat, 46, who previously lived at the home. He was taken into custody and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, NBC News reported.
The couple had been married just one week before they were gunned down, a woman who described herself as the bride’s sister told WPTV. “She has never been as happy as she was now.” They were married the prior Saturday, which was also the bride’s birthday.
According to a probable cause affidavit, a daughter of Josaphat and the female victim called 911 Saturday morning and reported that she saw her father shoot the newlyweds. Two additional siblings were also home when the double homicide occurred.
Neighbors heard gunfire from the home before deputies arrived. (Screenshot WPTV)
The names of the victims were not released after stunned relatives invoked a Florida law that prohibits identifying victims of crime.
A wedding picture of the couple (released by the family) shows the female victim, a longstanding nurse practitioner, smiling widely next to her new pastor husband, the New York Post reported.
The victims were married one week before they were killed. (Family Handout)
The victims, who regularly attended a local church, were both originally from Haiti, the woman’s sister said.
CBS 12 reported that Josaphat told deputies that he left his apartment to take his daughter to breakfast when he saw his ex-wife and her husband, and “anger” overtook him.
The accused killer used to live in the home where the victims were shot before his divorce, which was finalized in October.
Josaphat is being held without bond. He is next scheduled to make an appearance in court on Jan. 8.
