ORLANDO, Fla. – In one of the most controversial and infamous trials in American history, the Menendez brothers were convicted of killing their parents in an act of double parricide almost three decades ago.
The case garnered more headlines of late, and in February, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the state parole board to conduct a “comprehensive risk assessment” to determine whether the brothers had been rehabilitated and if they would pose a danger to the public if released.
Earlier this month, however, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office won’t support resentencing the brothers because they repeatedly lied about why they killed their parents.
News 6 has compiled some of Florida’s most shocking instances of parricide, the killing of a parent or other near relative, over the past several years.
See the list below:
1. CHRISTOS ALEXANDER THEMELIS, JR.
This case happened in June 2024, when the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced that 19-year-old Christos Themelis, Jr. fatally shot his parents.
At the time, Themelis’ mother called the HCSO to report that her husband had just been shot, detectives said.
But while she was on the phone with dispatch, several more rounds had been fired by her son, according to investigators.
Deputies said they eventually arrived and found Themelis Jr. and his mother on the front porch of their Tampa home.
Themelis Jr. shot his mother, then turned his firearm on deputies and fired, striking one of the deputies, an HCSO release shows. Four other deputies were at the scene and returned fire.
Afterward, Themelis, Jr. retreated back into his parents’ home, where a SWAT team later found him dead from a gunshot wound, the release says.
2. VEONDRE AVERY
About three years ago, 21-year-old Veondre Avery arrived at his home in Seminole County after work, only to find his girlfriend — Shamaya Lynn, 21 — with a gunshot wound to the head, according to investigators.
Police said he immediately called 911 while trying to perform CPR, as she was bleeding and unresponsive. However, Lynn ultimately died.
The police investigation later revealed that Avery admitted to storing his Glock handgun in a “Paw Patrol” bag that he kept behind the dresser in his bedroom.
As a result, investigators said Lynn had been shot by her 2-year-old son while she was on a Zoom call with her employer.
Avery was arrested and ultimately found guilty of third-degree manslaughter, according to court records.
3. MARIE AYALA
In 2022, Orange County deputies said they were called to 702 Tobie Court for what seemingly was an attempted suicide attempt.
A few hours later, detectives questioned Marie Ayala about what happened to Reggie Mabry, the father of her children, investigators said.
According to the arrest report, as deputies waited for Ayala to finish a call on her cellphone, her 5-year-old son stated that his father had been shot by his 2-year-old brother.
After further investigation, Ayala revealed that her son had communicated the same story to her. At the time of the shooting, she was not in the same room.
Mabry had been playing a video game with their two sons in another room, according to Ayala. Investigators said they then asked how her toddler would be able to gain access to the firearm.
That’s when Ayala admitted that it was not her gun and confessed that Mabry would leave the gun on the floor in a “Purple Bag” or under a pillow, investigators announced.
Ayala was arrested and ultimately found guilty in 2023 of culpable negligence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
4. JAVONTEE BRICE
On the night of June 25, 2024, 28-year-old Javontee Brice went on a killing spree, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
In a news release, deputies said he began by killing his mother at a Motel 8 in front of her significant other and his two younger sisters.
“(Brice) walked into that hotel room, looked at the mother, and said ‘I’m sorry.’ She asked, ‘What did you do?’ and he shoots her three times,” Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said afterward.
He then fled, reportedly killing his cousin in Palmetto and his ex-girlfriend’s new lover in Bradenton, according to detectives.
Eventually, deputies said they tracked him down to Hamilton County — near the state line — and Brice opened fire on the responding deputies. As a result, deputies returned fire, killing Brice, according to investigators.
Authorities indicated that he had another woman in the car while he was driving. However, she was neither identified nor charged. Detectives said they believed that Brice was heading to Georgia to kill another person.
5. BRANDON CAIN
Around midnight on July 3, 2024, Cain called 911, stating that his father was lying outside, not breathing, according to police.
Cain reportedly communicated to dispatch that he had shot his father in self-defense after a verbal altercation. Palm Bay police said they responded to the scene and took Cain into custody.
On July 9, police obtained a video showing Brandon and his father exchanging dialogue that police said did not appear to be aggressive.
In the video, Cain goes into his front door with a firearm that he concealed behind his body, police added. He then walked towards his father, who stood up and stumbled a bit, appearing to be intoxicated.
According to detectives, Cain then aimed the firearm toward his father, firing multiple rounds from approximately 3 feet away. After shooting, Cain did not check on his father; he simply went back inside his residence and later called emergency services, police said.
After being shown the video, Cain claimed that he did not remember the incident occurring the way that the video depicted, according to detectives. He now faces a charge of first-degree murder with a firearm.
6. JULIA EGLER
Back in August 2024, 16-year-old Julia Egler was accused of killing her mother and her mother’s boyfriend in Palm Bay.
According to police, Egler stole her mother’s revolver and waited for the pair to return home. As they entered, Egler embraced them with “Welcome home” before shooting her mother several times, as well as the boyfriend, police added.
Detectives said he pleaded for Egler to stop as he retreated toward the bathroom. But she instead followed him into the bathroom and stabbed him repeatedly after she ran out of ammunition, investigators said.
The boyfriend allegedly told Egler to “put him out of his misery,” and so she went and found another bullet to fatally shoot him, according to investigators.
Egler then attempted to make the incident appear to be a robbery by kicking in and shattering the back slider door with her foot, police said. She called 911 to make a report, alleging there was an unidentified male in her home, and spent several minutes on the line with a dispatcher, investigators explained.
According to police, Egler stated that she had reached her boiling point with her mother. There was a disagreement regarding her gender transition that her mother didn’t accept, the incident report shows. Julia also did not agree with her mother dating a man who was approximately 20 years younger, per the report.
Due to the shooting, Egler was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder.
7. EMMANUEL ESPINOZA
In April earlier this year, 21-year-old Emmanuel Espinoza — a pre-med student at the University of Florida — drove to a planned visit at his mother’s home in Polk County, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
But upon arrival, he stabbed his mother over 70 times with a knife, deputies said.
His mother was a beloved teacher at Ben Hill Griffin Elementary School. According to investigators, Espinoza explained that “he had not liked his mother for years.”
He also reportedly told detectives that “his mother had annoyed him since childhood.”
8. COLLIN GRIFFITH
On Valentine’s Day last year, 15-year-old Collin Griffith got into a fight with his father while living in Oklahoma — an incident that ended with Griffith fatally shooting his father, according to investigators.
Detectives said Griffith claimed he had been attacked and so retaliated in self-defense, and local investigators were unable to come up with sufficient evidence to charge Griffith with murder
Afterward, Griffith returned to Florida to live with his mother, but in September 2024, he fled to his grandmother’s house in Polk County after getting into an argument with his mother, the sheriff’s office reported.
He refused to come home, prompting his mother to drive to the grandmother’s house and get into another argument with Griffith, investigators said.
However, witnesses later told deputies that they saw Griffith grab his mother by the hair and drag her into the house, detectives announced. Shortly thereafter, Griffith called 911 and told dispatchers his mother had fallen on a knife during their fight, stabbing herself through the neck, the sheriff announced.
Despite the claims, Griffith was arrested and charged as an adult with first-degree murder and kidnapping. In March 2025, he was acquitted of all charges by a jury.
9. GREGORY RAMOS
In 2018, 15-year-old Gregory Ramos confessed to killing his mother after they’d gotten into an argument over a bad grade in school, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said they learned that Ramos had waited until around midnight to go into his mother’s room and strangled her for around 30 minutes.
He then used a wheelbarrow to load her body into a van and buried her under a fire pit at River City Church, deputies added. Afterward, he called his friends to help him stage a robbery, according to the sheriff.
Following his arrest, Ramos pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, abuse of a body and tampering with evidence. He was ultimately charged as an adult and received a 45-year prison sentence in 2021.
10. DEREK ROSA
Last year, 13-year-old Derek Rosa was accused of fatally stabbing his mother at their Hialeah apartment, according to News 6 partner WPLG-TV.
According to investigators, Rosa stabbed his mother over 40 times as she slept next to Rosa’s 14-day-old sister. He then called his online friend, sending photos of his mother and a selfie before calling 911 to report the incident, investigators said.
When law enforcement eventually arrived, they found his mother dead in her bedroom next to the crib with Rosa’s infant sister, who was unharmed, detectives said.
Prosecutors have filed a first-degree murder case against Rosa in adult court.
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