Latest news with #StLucieCounty
The Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Boy, 6, killed in ‘exorcism' with body found wrapped in cloth as mom ‘insists God told her to force demons out of him'
A MOM has been accused of killing her six-year-old son in a horrific exorcism after his remains were found wrapped in cloth with 'only his face exposed.' Rhonda Paulynice told sheriffs 'God told her to exorcise demons out of Ra'myl Pierre's body.' 4 St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office in Florida said deputies had attended Paulynice's home in Fort Pierce last Friday due to "welfare concerns." They discovered the boy's body in a bedroom. Investigators believe Ra'myl Pierre was killed on May 18. Paulynice, 41, was arrested on May 30 on second degree murder. According to her arrest records, the mom told investigators he had died after she put her hand over her six-year-old son's mouth. Paulynice also said she had started suffocating her young boy as he was 'kicking and screaming' in bed, reported Treasure Coast Newspapers. However, she had assumed that once the "demons" had gone, he would come back to life. She had gone into the room and blown warm air on his face, and looked for signs of life, said the affidavit. While her arrest records showed she was aware that Ra'Myl Pierre had died, she believed she had 'freed him of a spirit he had in him." The Sheriff's Office said on social media that on May 30, deputies had visited her home "to conduct a welfare check." This was due to a request by a school resource deputy following concerns of the child's absence from lessons since May 14, the force added. Paulynice told one deputy 'she just hasn't 'put him back in school,'' according to the affidavit. He had been attending Samuel Gaines Academy in Fort Pierce. WRAPPED IN CLOTH Investigators said, "Upon arrival, deputies made contact with the child's mother, who directed them to a bedroom inside the home. "Deputies found the child deceased in the bedroom." According to the affidavit, the deputy spotted a child on a bed 'wrapped in fabric with only his face exposed.' Paulynice allegedly later told investigators she was not in control of her 'vessel' - referring to her body. BLAMED GOD She claimed that 'God/Father' had told her what to do. 'Paulynice stated she would be kept awake at night by dreams from God/Father detailing events which were going to occur,' added the affidavit. She reported noticing changes in her boy's behavior 'and believed him to be controlled by a 'spirit' and by an 'enemy.'' DEMONS She also allegedly told detectives he died while she was trying to "exorcise demons out of her son's body." "In speaking with the mother, she believed she was being told by God to basically exorcise demons out of the child's body," said St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro. "When the child had stopped moving and basically passed away, at that point, she felt the child had been released of those demons and was waiting for him to basically come back at that time." Paulynice "acknowledged that she knew he had died, and she freed him of a spirit he had in him,' per the affidavit. 'Paulynice made references to 'resetting her life' and she stated she was put in a position where she had to 'take her son's life.'' The legal document added that the mom then moved Ra'myl Pierre's body to another bed, where it was covered with his favorite blanket and around his head. Paulynice told cops she had checked on her dead son daily. Investigators wrote in their court report that she appeared 'indifferent to her son's death, the role she played in his death or her actions of not reporting his death.' What has Rhonda Paulynice been charged with? The Florida mother was arrested on May 30 and charged with the murder of her six-year-old son, Ra'myl Pierre Rhonda Paulynice, 41, has been charged with second-degree murder. The mom was also charged with failure to report a death and willfully touching or moving the body, clothing or any article upon or near the body, according to jail records. She was booked into jail on May 30, and is currently being held on a $150,000 bond. She was also reported as acting in an "odd" manner, for example not removing her sunglasses inside the home while speaking with cops. "While she was in the residence, although she appeared distraught, it did not appear sincere," alleged her arrest records. The mom went through 'a lot of highs and lows during the investigation, from laughing at different times at the scene to crying," Del Toro told reporters. ABC-affiliated WPTV said the station had received body camera footage of the bizarre moments before Ra'myl Pierre's body was found. Paulynice was filmed using lip gloss while answering deputies' questions about her son's lengthy absence from school. In the clip she told a deputy, 'He's going to go back to school. I'll give them a call. I didn't even realize that. I'll call his teacher.' SCHOOL TRIBUTE Lt. Andrew Bolonka, the sheriff's spokesperson, told reporters that investigators are waiting for toxicology results. Del Toro said, "From what I understand, this kid just lit the room up, and was loved by everybody." A spokesperson for the St. Lucie County school district said students and staff will be offered grief counseling and support services. St. Lucie Public Schools said in a statement, "Our hearts are with the student's family, friends, classmates, and all who loved and cared for him during this incredibly difficult time. "Out of respect for the family's privacy, and the ongoing investigation, we will not be releasing any further information at this time." Paulynice remains in custody after being booked into jail on May 30. The U.S. Sun has contacted the sheriff's office for further comment. 4 4
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Police Find 6-Year-Old Boy Dead in His Bedroom. His Mom Says She Was Trying to ‘Exorcise Demons Out of' His Body
A mother was arrested and charged with the murder of her 6-year-old son, Ra'myl Pierre, after a deputy found his body during a welfare check at their Fort Pierce, Fla., home on May 30 Rhonda Paulynice told detectives that "she believes she was being told by God to basically exorcise demons out of the child's body," according to St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro Prior to his tragic death, Pierre "just lit the room up, and was loved by everybody," Del Toro saidA Florida woman charged with the death of her 6-year-old son allegedly told police she was trying to "exorcise demons out of' his body. A deputy responded to the Fort Pierce, Fla., home of Rhonda Paulynice and her son, Ra'myl Pierre, at around 10:00 a.m. local time on Friday, May 30, to conduct a welfare check, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said. The 6-year-old, a student at Samuel Gaines Academy, had not attended class in more than two weeks, and a school resource deputy was concerned. Upon arrival, Paulynice, 41, was in the driveway. She proceeded to escort the deputy into the home, where the child was 'discovered deceased, lying on his bed,' Sheriff Richard Del Toro said in a press conference. Investigators believe the child died on May 18, but an autopsy will provide more information, Del Toro said. Due to the amount of time his body was left on the bed, medical examiners could not determine the manner of death at the scene. May 18 was also the last day that Paulynice spoke to her son, detectives learned. According to Del Toro, Paulynice — who is the main suspect in the investigation — told detectives that she had attempted an exorcism on the 6-year-old, the exact details of which are not known. 'What we did learn in speaking with the mother is she believes she was being told by God to basically exorcise demons out of the child's body,' the sheriff told reporters. 'And when the child had stopped moving and basically passed away, at that point she felt that the child had been released from those demons, and was waiting for him to basically come back, at that time.' Del Toro also said that the 41-year-old mother exhibited 'a lot of highs and lows during the investigation, from laughing at different times at the scene to crying.' Paulynice was arrested and booked into jail on May 30. She was charged with second-degree murder, as well as failure to report a death and willfully touching or moving the body, clothing or any article upon or near the body, according to jail records. She is currently being held on a $150,000 bond. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Prior to the discovery of the child's body, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office responded to the Fort Pierce residence before for 'domestic issues' involving Paulynice and her sister, Del Toro said, but none involving the mother and son. Most recently, officials reported to the home on May 17 due to a 'medical issue' of Paulynice's, the sheriff added. The following day, which is when detectives believe she killed her son, Paulynice shared an inspirational religious post on social media. She shared several similar posts in the days that followed, the most recent on May 29. Her final post featuring a photo of Pierre was dated Dec. 8, 2024. While expressing condolences for Pierre's family, classmates and teachers, Del Toro offered some insight into what the 6-year-old was like prior to his tragic death. "From what I understand, this kid just lit the room up, and was loved by everybody," he said. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Two men arrested after narcotics raid finds drugs, high-powered rifles in St. Lucie County
FORT PIERCE — Two men have been arrested after drugs and high-powered rifles were found during a narcotics raid, according to St. Lucie County sheriff's officials. Jesus Pozos Pozos, 22, and Jordan Lewis, 20, were arrested May 30 and charged with trafficking cocaine, manufacturing or selling cocaine, possession of over 20 grams of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to officials. Pozos Pozos also was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Sheriff's detectives and the sheriff's SWAT team executed a narcotics-related search warrant May 30 in the 700 block of Skylark Drive in Fort Pierce, according to officials. It was part of an ongoing investigation into suspected drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession. Child death: Autopsy expected to confirm how 6-year-old boy died in St. Lucie County home During the search, detectives found the following guns and drugs: Diamondback .556 rifle equipped with a scope and laser Draco-style AK-47 (7.62 caliber) Multiple magazines for both rifles and a substantial quantity of ammunition About half a kilogram of powdered cocaine About 1 ounce of crack cocaine (one 'cookie' still present in a glass beaker) 437 grams of marijuana 79 Xanax bars 4 oxycodone pills Various items of drug paraphernalia Both Pozos Pozos and Lewis remained at the St. Lucie County Jail on Saturday, according to a jail official. Pozos Pozos was being held without bail after his first appearance, and Lewis was being held on $340,000 bail. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Narcotics raid finds drugs, rifles in Fort Pierce, two men arrested
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Florida mother of dead 6-year-old was trying to ‘exorcise demons': sheriff
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (WFLA) — The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said a 6-year-old was found dead in his bedroom, and his mother was trying to 'exorcise demons' from him. School resource deputies requested a welfare check on Friday for the boy, Ra'myl Pierre, after he had been missing from school for two weeks. A deputy went to the Fort Pierce home that morning and met the boy's mother, 31-year-old Rhonda Paulynice, who led the deputy into the bedroom where he found the boy dead in his bed. St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro said the child's cause of death was not immediately apparent and that an autopsy was scheduled for Saturday. While interviewing Paulynice, detectives learned that she had last spoken to the child on May 18, which is when they believe the homicide occurred, the sheriff said. He had been missing from school since May 14. Deputies had been at the home for a medical issue the mother was having just a day before they believe the boy was killed, on May 17. 'What we did learn in speaking with the mother is she believes she was being told by God to basically exorcise demons out of the child's body,' Sheriff Del Toro said. She has been charged with second-degree murder, failure to report a death and altering a body. Del Toro said that the mother told investigators that when the child stopped moving, she believed he had been freed of the demons, and she was waiting for him to 'come back.' No one else was living in the home at the time. 'From what I understand, this kid just lit the room up and was loved by everybody,' the sheriff said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Florida prosecutors to pursue death penalty in family's turnpike killing after Biden commutation
ST. LUCIE COUNTY − State and local officials plan to begin proceedings to prosecute and seek the death penalty against two men whose federal death sentences for the 2006 drug-related slayings of a family on Florida's Turnpike in St. Lucie County were commuted by former President Joe Biden. The federal death sentences of Daniel "Homer" Troya, 42, and Ricardo 'Ricky' Sanchez, Jr., 41, were commuted in December 2024. The two were sentenced to death in 2009 after their involvement in the drug-related slaughter of Jose Escobedo, 28, his 25-year-old wife and two young sons, ages 4 and 3, on Oct. 13, 2006, in gangland-style gunfire executions tied to a drug peddling operation in West Palm Beach. Troya and Sanchez are being held in a U.S. penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. Sheriff Richard Del Toro and State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl on May 23 announced 'the reopening of the 2006 Escobedo family murder case,' a news release states. Officials reported the reopening is in 'direct response to the federal government's commutation of the death sentences.' 'The calculated and unspeakably violent murders of the Escobedo family demand the highest level of accountability,' Bakkedahl said in the release. 'With the federal death sentence no longer in effect, we believe the pursuit of justice now rests with the State of Florida. My office is committed to ensuring that the sentence ultimately reflects the gravity of this crime.' Del Toro said in the release he supports the measure. 'This case left a lasting scar on our community,' Del Toro said. 'We owe it to the Escobedo family and the public to pursue every available legal avenue to deliver justice. My office stands ready to support this mission in full.' Lt. Andrew Bolonka, sheriff's spokesperson, said May 23 that Del Toro was not available to speak about this case. Bakkedahl said he'd have no comment until a news conference at the Sheriff's Office scheduled for May 27. Now retired, Stephen Carlton was the lead prosecutor during a 2009 federal trial in West Palm Beach that convicted Troya, Sanchez, Daniel Varela, and his then-girlfriend Liana Lee Lopez. Troya and Sanchez, both convicted of carjacking resulting in death and other felonies, received life terms for the parents' murders and were sentenced to death for the boys' homicides. 'They had no say in how they died. I felt a huge amount of pressure on us to make sure we got convictions for those two little boys' murders,' Carlton has said. 'I mean, nobody deserves to be killed, even if you're trafficking in drugs. But it was the mother and father's fault that put their own family in harm's way.' Varela is serving life in prison for multiple drug convictions. Lopez, who was never directly implicated in the murders, was released from federal prison in 2019, records show. Jurors at trial were told Troya and Sanchez carried out the killings on orders by Varela, for whom the two worked as gun-toting drug couriers while living together at a home in a gated West Palm Beach community authorities dubbed "Thug Mansion." The hits were sanctioned, law enforcement authorities said, to settle a drug debt and to steal drugs from Escobedo, who had been the group's cocaine supplier, smuggling in kilos from Texas. Just weeks before the murders, the Escobedos had moved to Greenacres in Palm Beach County from Brownsville, Texas. Escobedo's driver's license found on his body led police to his house and drug ledgers with hand-written notes that showed money owed for kilograms of cocaine that went missing after Lopez and Sanchez were arrested on drug charges. The night before the murders, the Escobedos drove their black Cherokee jeep north to the Daytona area to make a drug pick up. They were followed by Sanchez and Troya in a conversion van. 'They took a beautiful person': Family remembers homicide victim from Fort Pierce Arrest in burglaries: Accused storage unit burglar in Port St. Lucie linked to others in Martin County, police say Evidence presented at trial showed 'Escobedo had picked up 15 kilograms of cocaine that evening,' Carlton said. On the return trip, multiple phone calls were made between the three men and both vehicles got on the turnpike at Fort Pierce around 2:18 a.m., heading south. Toll booth security cameras showed both vehicles enter the turnpike. Prosecutors don't know what ruse was used to convince Jose Escobedo to pull off the highway, Carlton said, but within 6 minutes on the turnpike, a couple that lived nearby woke to the popping sound of gunshots. Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: FL to pursue death penalty in killings after Biden commutes sentences
