LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A man was arrested Tuesday in connection with a 2019 fatal shooting in a Clermont driveway, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Jude Joseph Alexandre, 30, faces a charge of premeditated murder in the shooting on Sept. 2, 2019 that left Miriam Ortiz dead.
Recommended Videos
According to an affidavit of probable cause, deputies responded to 16856 Rising Star Drive in Clermont after a 911 caller said he heard a gunshot and found his mother unresponsive in the driveway.
Ortiz was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering a gunshot wound to the head, deputies said.
[TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider| ‘Demonic:’ Uber Eats driver killed during delivery | Hail storm strikes Central Florida]
A witness said they had seen the victim and her boyfriend arguing minutes before the shooting. The victim’s son also said a man had “rushed” and physically attacked him while he was in the garage with his mother leading up to the shooting, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit shows that a friend of Ortiz also said the victim was scared because she’d stolen drugs from Alexandre in the past and was also giving testimony to the sheriff’s office on the suspect’s behalf in a separate case.
Deputies said Alexandre fled to New York immediately after the fatal shooting. After further investigation, detectives identified him as the suspect based on DNA testing.
Alexandre was booked into Lake County jail, where he is being held without bond.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: