ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Two murder suspects have picked up additional charges of beating a 79-year-old man with a tire iron on 22nd Avenue North in St. Petersburg on October 20, 2022.
Jermaine Adrian Bennett, 27, and Savonne Morrison, 18, both face one count of attempted murder in the first degree for the attack. Both men were already in the Pinellas County Jail facing charges for a fatal attack that occurred in Clearwater that same evening.
Shortly before midnight Oct. 20, St. Petersburg police responded to the 2400 block of 22nd Avenue North to investigate a call about an attack on a person over age 65.
In the news: Florida Man Arrested After Attempting To Snatch Ex-Girlfriend From UPS Facility
Officers found the 79-year-old victim with multiple cuts and lacerations when they arrived.
The injuries occurred when two men in a car stopped the victim as he was walking along eastbound 22nd Avenue North.
One of the men who got out of the vehicle struck the victim numerous times with a tire iron before both men returned to the car and drove away.
The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
Bennett and Morrison
On October 22, 2022, Clearwater Police homicide detectives charged Jermaine Adrian Bennett with first-degree murder in the homicide on Mandalay Avenue of Jeffrey Chapman.
Police say, that the car was registered to Bennett, and he admitted being in Clearwater Beach at the time of the murder.
In the news: Florida Gov. DeSantis Admin Urges Appeals Court To Shield AHCA Chief
He further admitted randomly attacking the victim with a tire iron and blamed the “ills of society” for the crime.
He expressed no remorse when interviewed by detectives.
Savonne Morrison, 18, of Land O’ Lakes was arrested in November by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and faces a charge of being a principal to first-degree murder in the death of Jeffrey Chapman, 49.
Android Users, Click To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter . Signup for our free newsletter .
We can’t do this without your help; visit our GiveSendGo page and donate any dollar amount; every penny helps.