Florida man found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wound after being accused of sexually abusing a corpse at funeral home



A funeral home worker was found dead by police from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after another worker said they were caught sexually abusing a corpse.

The harrowing incident was reported at the Oak Lawn Funeral Home in Pensacola, Florida, on Tuesday.

The Escambia County Sheriff's Office said that deputies were called to the funeral home on New Warrington Road at about 8:30 a.m. after an employee reported the abuse of a corpse. A coworker told police they had walked in on the suspect while he allegedly committed the heinous act.

The accused suspect fled the scene before deputies arrived.

They later found the man's car nearby at the intersection of Blue Angel Parkway and Alekai Drive. They discovered the man's body with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The funeral home released a statement about the incident.

“Out of respect for the privacy and confidentiality of the families … and the privacy of our associates, we are not in a position to comment on this matter. We will continue to fully cooperate with the Sheriff’s Office on any investigation," the statement read.

Neither the identity of the deceased suspect nor the identity of the deceased victim have been released by the police, who said the investigation was ongoing.

The funeral home told reporter Yona Gavino of WEAR-TV that they wanted to be transparent about the incident but that they wanted to notify clients about what happened in hopes of easing their concerns.

Gavino spoke to Tim Brown, who was at the funeral home finalizing plans for the funeral of his father.

"That does give me second thoughts, but I think he's already been cremated, so I think he's safe," said Brown. "But it is disturbing, I'm glad it wasn't my mom that was here."

Here's the local news video about the incident:

\u201cThe funeral home where a worker was allegedly caught in the act of sexually abusing a corpse Tuesday, before later being found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, released a statement to @YonaGavinoTV about the incident. -- https://t.co/OOGrn7L392\u201d
— WEAR ABC 3 (@WEAR ABC 3) 1674000945

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Video: It's all smiles before crooks invade home; seconds later it's all backsides as they run for their lives from homeowner firing 'AK-47-style gun' at them



Law enforcement officials have released video of last week's thwarted home invasion in Pensacola, Florida, which features suspects running for their lives after the homeowner began firing an AK-47-style gun at them.

The Escambia County sheriff's office said two of the suspects have been arrested, a third has been identified, and a fourth remains unidentified.

What are the details?

The sheriff's office said in an earlier post that the homeowner was alone his Pinestead Road residence at 11:42 p.m. July 7 when the incident took place.

In its latest post, the sheriff's office said three individuals approached the front door of the victim’s home, and two of them pushed the victim into the house and attacked him after the victim unlocked the door.

One of the individuals can be seen smiling in the video before heading inside the home:

Image source: Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office video screenshot

The third individual at the front door — who remains unidentified — pulled a handgun from his pants and waited outside.

Image source: Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office video screenshot

During the home invasion, the victim’s gun fell to the ground, and one of suspects picked it up, the sheriff's office said. But the victim ran to a back room, grabbed another gun, and started shooting at the intruders, officials said. In its earlier post, the sheriff's office called the homeowner's second weapon an "AK-47-style gun."

With that, the trio "ran frantically" from the home, the sheriff's office said:

Image source: Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office video screenshot

They then entered a vehicle where the fourth suspect — 18-year-old Joseph Roman Sanders — was waiting and drove off, hitting a nearby mailbox, the sheriff's office said.

Here's the Ring doorbell video of the incident:

What has happened since?

Da’Torrance Hackworth, 20, and Antonio Dewayne Dean Jr., 18, were arrested and charged with use/display of a firearm during a felony, possession of a firearm by a felon, larceny, grand theft of a firearm, and robbery/home invasion with a firearm, the sheriff's office said.

Dean has active warrants for other alleged offenses, including domestic violence battery, carjacking, aggravated assaults with a firearm, and robbery with a firearm, Sheriff Chip Simmons told the Pensacola News Journal.

In the below Twitter post, Dean's mug shot is on the left, and Hackworth's mug shot is on the right. The post went up prior to their arrests:

\u201c\ud83d\udea8WANTED\ud83d\udea8 Deputies say Antonio Dean Jr. (18), Da'Torrance Hackworth (20) and another man broke into an Escambia County man's home last night. He shot at them for his protection.\n\nSheriff Simmons says the homeowner will not be charged. https://t.co/KvSvxCQL2l\u201d
— WEAR ABC 3 (@WEAR ABC 3) 1657300980

Sanders, the driver, is still wanted for home invasion with a firearm, the sheriff's office said.

The suspect who waited outside the front door and pulled a handgun from his pants remains unidentified, and the sheriff's office is asking for the public's help in identifying him.

Image source: Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office

If you have any information, please call Crime Stoppers at 850-433-STOP or the ECSO at 850-436-9620, authorities said.

What else has the sheriff said about this incident?

Simmons told "Fox & Friends First" Thursday that the homeowner "did absolutely nothing wrong. If someone breaks into my front door, barges and attacks me or my family, they're going to get shot, and I afford that same consideration to the residents of my county."

The sheriff also told the News Journal that the homeowner would "absolutely not" be charged for shooting at the home invasion suspects.

"The homeowner's protecting himself, and in Florida, in Escambia County, you can protect yourself," Simmons noted, according to the paper.

WKRG-TV reported that the incident is being investigated as a stand-your-ground case.