CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) – A Charlotte County woman has been sentenced to life in prison in connection with a 2022 murder case.
Melissa Dymond-Demetrowitz was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder with a firearm, according to the State Attorney’s Office for the 20th Judicial Circuit. She was also sentenced to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder and five years for tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
The case stems from a September 2022 killing in Charlotte County. Prosecutors said a man was killed in Charlotte County before his body was dumped and hidden in a wooded area in Lee County. Court documents identified the victim as Shawn Patrick Armstrong.
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Court documents previously said Dymond-Demetrowitz and Andrew Smith were indicted in 2023 on charges of first-degree murder with a firearm, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder with a firearm and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
Dymond-Demetrowitz pleaded guilty to all three counts in April, according to prosecutors. A non-jury penalty phase trial was held in May.
The State Attorney’s Office said a co-defendant in the case is awaiting trial. The latest update did not name that co-defendant.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office was the main investigating agency. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Punta Gorda Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office also assisted.
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