A woman was killed in a stabbing incident in Lehigh Acres, and the suspect has been captured after a pursuit spanning multiple counties.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office reported that a man from Hialeah stabbed a woman to death inside a home on Lake Avenue. The victim was in Lehigh Acres with her children to visit friends and help with Christmas decorations.
Inside the home, a resident noticed the pantry door was stuck.
“When she looked through the small opening of the door, she saw the suspect, a 31-year-old Leosby Cuesta De Armas glaring at her, holding a knife,” said Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
The witness screamed in terror as De Armas attacked the victim.
“When the victim collapsed, De Armas got on top of her and continued to stab her multiple times,” said Marceno.
De Armas fled the scene without saying a word and headed north through Florida. He was spotted in Hardee County, and when police attempted to stop him, he led them on a chase until he was caught in Polk County.
Neighbors in Lehigh Acres are struggling to process the tragedy. Michael Wong, who lives next door to the crime scene, expressed his shock.
“I was confused. I was shocked,” said Wong.
His brother Marlon Wong shared similar sentiments.
“I was basically in shock to see, like, so many police cars, like, you know, blocking that road,” said Marlon Wong. “And it was just a mess, like the whole night. I’ve never seen something like this before.”
Another neighbor, Darren, described the situation as unsettling.
“It’s just a, you know, a little disconcerting trying to figure out what’s going on,” said Darren. “Because most of my neighbors, you know, they’re either young families or older folks.”
De Armas will face charges of second-degree murder and burglary with battery in Lee County, as well as aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and fleeing to elude in Polk County.
Neighbors said they plan to pray for everyone involved.