FRUITLAND, Fla. – A 24-hour manhunt triggered by a deadly stabbing at a Florida Dollar General store came to an end on Saturday with the arrest of a convicted sex offender.
Dig deeper:
According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, deputies went to the Dollar General store in Fruitland shortly after 3:45 p.m. on Friday after receiving a 911 call about an unresponsive woman with stab wounds.
They performed CPR before she was taken to an area hospital, where she died.
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Witnesses reported seeing the suspect take off on foot, sparking a 24-hour manhunt.
Courtesy: Putnam County Sheriff’s Office
Detectives were about to build a profile of the suspect, Lemar Beasley, 54, of Crescent City, and found him living in a camper on property at Huntington Shortcut Road Saturday afternoon.
The backstory:
According to witnesses, Beasley and the victim, Cheyenne Kastens, 36, of Georgetown, were both inside the store on Friday afternoon.
Courtesy: Putnam County Sheriff’s Office
Deputies said Kastens was outside near her car when she was attacked and stabbed.
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Investigators said there appears to be no interaction between the pair, and there is no known connection between them.
Courtesy: Putnam County Sheriff’s Office
Dig deeper:
According to PCSO, Beasley is a convicted registered sex offender with an extensive criminal history dating back to 1991.
Courtesy: Putnam County Sheriff’s Office
He was released from prison in July after serving 5 years for failure to comply with sex offender registration in 2021.
Beasley was charged with first-degree premeditated murder.
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What they’re saying:
“Our prayers and deepest condolences are to the family and friends of Cheyenne Kastens,” Sheriff H.D. ‘Gator’ DeLoach said. “While I cannot take away their pain and sorrow while grieving the loss of a loved one, my promise to her family and our south Putnam community is that we will do everything to make sure this refuse of human garbage spends the rest of his life confined in a cell. away from society and dies in prison. There is no reason for someone to lose their life for just going about their day.”
What’s next:
Since Beasley was charged with first-degree premeditated murder, he could face the death penalty.
What we don’t know:
The motive behind the fatal stabbing is unclear.
The Source: This article was written with information posted on social media by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
