ORLANDO, FL – April 28, 2020 - According to an online news report provided by WFTV.com, investigators with the Orlando Police Department arrested an eighteen-year-old woman and charged her with tampering with physical evidence and manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a seventeen-year-old male. The shooting took place inside a hotel room at a hotel located near the Orlando International Airport. Orlando Police stated that the woman was arrested on Monday.
Investigators with the Orlando Police Department allege, in the online news report, that the female suspect shot the seventeen-year-old victim to death inside a hotel room at the Springhill Suites late Sunday evening. Firefighters at the scene of the shooting state that the victim was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Two women were interviewed by Orlando Police claimed that the victim shot himself by accident. The second girl, a sixteen-year-old girl, was also placed under arrest and has been charged with tampering with evidence and for being involved in the shooting.
The officers investigating the fatal shooting stated that this shooting does not appear to be connected with the other shooting cases that occurred over the weekend.
Florida Statute 782.07 – Manslaughter Definitions, Penalties and Laws
According to Florida Statute 782.07 – Manslaughter, it is a crime to kill another human being without lawful justification. In some cases, manslaughter is a second-degree felony in the state of Florida. In other cases, a charge of manslaughter could be elevated to a first-degree felony. For example, if the defendant murders a child under the age of eighteen years of age, or an elderly person, the charges may be elevated to a felony in the first-degree.
Under Florida Statute 782.07(1), a criminal act of Manslaughter may be committed in three situations:
- Manslaughter by Act (Voluntary Manslaughter): An intentional act that is also not justified and results in the death of a person.
- Manslaughter by Procurement (Voluntary Manslaughter): Encouraging, inducing, or persuading someone else to commit an act resulting in the death of someone else.
- Manslaughter by Culpable Negligence (Involuntary Manslaughter): An act of negligence resulting in the death of an individual.
Manslaughter with a Firearm Charges in the State of Florida
In the state of Florida, a person is charged with manslaughter when an individual accidentally kills another person, usually in some form of a negligent act. In other words, an individual takes the life of someone else due to some form of reckless disregard. If no firearm was used in the homicide of another, this crime is charged as a second-degree felony in Florida. A felony in the second-degree in Florida is punishable with up to 15 years in prison.
If a firearm was involved, the manslaughter charge could be elevated to a felony in the first-degree felony in Florida. If found guilty of a first-degree felony in the state of Florida, the defendant faces a prison sentence of up to 30 years.