Two Florida sisters shot dead by abusive ex-boyfriend who killed himself after 7-mile chase to avoid arrest
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Two sisters from Florida were killed outside their Overlook Road home by Anthony Stoutt on Wednesday, July 22, morning. Stoutt took the life of his former girlfriend, Sofia Davila, 19, and her sister, Rebeca Davila, 20, who were found dead at their mother's home in Palm Beach County, Florida, before killing himself.
Back in September last year, Rebeca had obtained a domestic violence injunction against her little sister's ex-boyfriend. The 20-year-old had written, "I fear for my safety because Anthony has stated he will kill anyone who files a restraining order," Palmbeachpost reports. The authorities revealed that Stoutt had fatally shot the girls at their mother's home. Stoutt was a former Delray Beach high school track student who had a history of domestic violence. On Wednesday, Stoutt turned the gun on himself while he was near St Augustine. Before the deputies could arrive at the home, at least one neighbor called 911 at 9 am and reported that they had heard shouting chilling screams followed by gunshots.
After committing the crime, Stoutt left the scene, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. The release stated, "A domestic dispute resulted in a shooting in the 7900 block of Overlook Road, unincorporated Lantana. Two adult women were found deceased from what appears to be gunshot wounds. The suspect was gone." Later that day, the cops identified Stoutt as the suspect and had obtained an arrest warrant for two counts of first-degree murder. Sofia had been studying criminal justice at the Palm Beach State College while her sister had been a technician at the JFK Medical Center.
As per a report from the St Johns County Sheriff's Office obtained by PEOPLE, before being able to capture Stoutt, law enforcement agencies had spotted his car, a white Honda Accord, on the I-95. Deputies pulled up behind Stoutt's car only for him to flee at 90 miles per hour on a seven-mile chase. Stoutt reportedly had "no intent of stopping" before he randomly swerved to avoid "stop sticks" and hit a median guardrail. According to Deputy Brett Harwick, while Stoutt's vehicle slowed down, "I heard what appeared to be a single gunshot." Upon approaching the vehicle, officers found that Stoutt had "noticeable trauma to his head and was unresponsive."
Just six weeks after the injunction had been issued, Stoutt had been charged with battery after he allegedly grabbed Sofia's arm and threw a bottle of water at her. According to Stoutt's arrest report, the couple were dating on and off. A GoFundMe page was started by the family. A woman, Julissa Corrales had written, "Our family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from our family, friends, and a community mourning the loss of our two girls." "Your donations will go to Sofia and Rebeca’s burial, which are more than we originally anticipated, and to help their mom Gloria, a dedicated respiratory therapist, put her life back together in the wake of this tragedy." Rebeca too had a boyfriend of three years who had lived with the family.