Couple targeted in Avon Park armed invasion feeds, cares for community, neighbor says
AVON PARK, Fla. (WFLA) — Tyris Godfrey considers the couple who lives across the street from him on Joe Hilton Street to be family.
“Very loving people. They do whatever they can for the community. They feed the community. They’re church people,” he said.
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He said the wife cooks food for the neighborhood and the husband helps people with their cars.
“He’s a good mechanic. Everybody in the neighborhood speaks very highly of them and it’s very sad what happened,” said Godfrey.
On Thursday night, Godfrey received a call from his girlfriend. While she was unloading groceries, the couple ran over to her from their house.
“She told me, ‘Hey come home quick’. I said ‘Whoa what happened?’ She just said, ‘She’s bleeding’. I said ‘Call law enforcement’,” said Godfrey.
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When deputies arrived, they found the couple outside Godfrey’s home, the woman, bloodied and incoherent, while her husband was able to talk.
“He expressed to our deputies that he had just killed a man inside of his residence and that the man was still inside there,” said Highlands County Sheriff Paul Blackman.
Inside, the sheriff said, was 62-year-old Lindsey Glenn.
Glenn had entered the home under a ruse, asking about notary services the female victim provides, according to the sheriff.
“He had to be familiar. It wasn’t just a random house that he picked. He had to be familiar with them. He had to be somewhat familiar with what she did as far as doing notaries and stuff of that nature,” said Sheriff Blackman.
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When Glenn was let into the home, the sheriff said he shot the female victim in the face.
Her husband retrieved a folded pocket knife and stabbed Glenn to death.
“He had a job to do and he did it well. He not only stuck up for his wife, his family, his property there and he defended them very, very well,” said Sheriff Blackman.
Sheriff Blackman called the male victim who killed the suspect an “upstanding citizen” and said authorities have no intention of charging him.
The sheriff said it’s possible Glenn believed the woman had cash on hand because of her work as a notary but an exact motive is unknown.
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The male victim incorrectly identified the suspect so the sheriff said it is unclear if the suspect and victims knew each other.
The female victim is stable in the hospital and is expected to survive.
Glenn has a criminal history dating back to the 1980s which includes robbery and burglary convictions.
“We don’t have a lot of where the suspect is killed on the scene and the victims are both alive. It’s usually the other way around so we’re very very glad that this one turned out the way that it did,” said Sheriff Blackman. “To the male victim who knew he had a job to do and knew he did it well, we are certainly grateful for that.”
Godfrey said the neighborhood is praying for the victims.
“My job as a neighbor, as somewhat of a family member is just watch the house, go over there, and take care of the lawn until I hear anything else from the family,” he said.
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