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UPDATE: 54-year-old man killed in Fruitland Park was stabbed 30+ times

Joshua Lee Collins is facing first-degree murder charge

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LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Deputies have arrested a man in a deadly stabbing in Fruitland Park, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Joshua Lee Collins,32, is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of 54-year-old Jeffrey Rhom.

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Investigators were called to 36743 Daisy Lane in Fruitland Park at 12:44 a.m. Friday after receiving a call about a person found unresponsive. When deputies arrived, they found a man who lives in the home dead from stab wounds.

According to records, Rhom was stabbed more than 30 times and was stabbed in the chest, abdomen, back, neck and head.

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The 54-year-old was living in a detached shed on the property for a couple of weeks leading up to the homicide, according to investigators. They added that the shed is where the stabbing took place.

Earlier in the day on Friday, detectives identified Collins as a person of interest in the investigation. He was arrested Friday morning on unrelated traffic charges.

When investigators first found Collins, records show they caught him with a pocket knife. Records show the pocket knife was consistent in shape and size with the wounds found in the autopsy of Rhom.

Collins remains in custody on no bond.


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