Florida Keys man fatally shot by girlfriend, deputies say. She says he strangled her
A scuffle after a night of drinking led to a Florida Keys man being shot and killed by his girlfriend early Saturday morning, deputies said.
Brittany Holbrook, 33, is facing a felony charge of homicide, according to records. She still remains in jail and has an arraignment set for June 28.
Around 2:50 a.m., Jordan Kinn called 911 and told the operator his roommate, Tyler Nulisch, is “in bad shape he’s hurt real bad” and there was a lot of blood, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were sent to 491 Avenue F in Big Coppit Key.
On the 911 call recording, deputies say Kinn can be heard asking Holbrook where Nulisch was bleeding from — she said his back.
Kinn said he was in the bedroom sleeping when he heard Holbrook scream from the living room. He also told the operator the pair were in an argument.
When deputies arrived they found Holbrook cradling Nulisch covered in blood. He was unconscious but breathing, the sheriff’s office said. He was taken to Lower Keys Medical Center where he was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound about an hour later.
A Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun was found in the living room and a spent cartridge casing. Kinn told detectives that he asked Nulisch what happened while he was in and out of consciousness.
He replied, “that b**** shot me in the back.”
Holbrook told detectives she had been in a relationship with Nulisch for about nine months. She got home from work at about 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Soon after, the trio began drinking. She had several alcoholic seltzers and beers, the sheriff’s office said.
Late in the evening, Holbrook and Nulisch fell asleep together in their bed. However, after that she said there was a gap in her memory. She could only remember next holding her boyfriend, who was covered in blood, in the living room.
After recounting the night to detectives she soon after called them back as she had remembered more in detail about what happened, the sheriff’s office said.
She remembered waking up in the bed to Nulisch strangling her. She didn’t know how she got away, but does remember him strangling her again and pushing her against the bathroom wall. It was hard for her to breath.
She told detectives that while Nulisch was strangling her, she punched and scratched him. While detectives did see bruising on her knuckles, they did not see any sign of strangulation on her throat or in her eyes.
Detectives said Holbrook’s inconsistencies, Nulisch’s dying words and her not having injuries led to their decision to charge and arrest her.
