Police charge man with murder in fatal stabbing of Erie native in St. Petersburg, Fla.

A 31-year-old man has been charged with fatally stabbing an Erie native on April 1 at the victim's apartment in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The victim, Timothy Pustelak, 49, knew the defendant and was killed after the two got in an argument, St. Petersburg police said.

The defendant, Jovante D. Darling, of St. Petersburg, is charged with second-degree murder, police said. Second-degree murder in Florida pertains to an unpremeditated killing with a "depraved mind."

Darling was arrested on Tuesday, police said in a statement. Police said the detectives on the case "learned that Darling and Pustelak were known to each other," but no information was immediately available on what led detectives to develop Darling as a suspect.

Start of case: Police open homicide probe after Erie native, 49, found dead in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Police started investigating on April 1 at 7:38 p.m., when officers responded to Pustelak's residence at the Marisol Vista Apartments in the 10000 block of 11th Street North. Police said the officers were responding to a "check welfare" call from Pustelak's girlfriend, who was out of town and was concerned because she had been unable to contact him.

"Upon arrival," police said, "officers discovered Pustelak had been stabbed to death in his apartment." He was stabbed multiple times, according to the criminal complaint.

Murder victim remembered as 'a whirlwind"

Pustelak, whose family is from Girard, moved from the Erie area to Florida a year ago, according to his obituary. When he was in Erie, he was a project manager at the family business, Pustelak Masonry, in the 9000 block of Peach Street in Summit Township. It stopped operating in 2010.

Timothy Pustelak went on to work as a vice president at Spiral Stairs of America, in Erie, from 2019 to May 2022, before he took a job in Florida in November 2022, according to his LinkedIn account and his obituary.

The account and his Facebook page show Pustelak started a new job in March as director of sales at redbox+Dumpsters Suncoast, a waste-management company in Clearwater, Florida, north of St. Petersburg.

Pustelak, a father of three, went into sales "because of his high energy, enthusiasm, over-the-top personality and persuasiveness," according to his obituary.

"Moving to Florida last year was to be a fresh start," according to the obituary. "He enjoyed the sunshine, the ocean breeze, the Florida heat and especially looking out from the pier overlooking the ocean near his apartment."

"Tim was a roller coaster, a whirlwind of unpredictability, keeping those around him on their toes, never knowing what to expect next," according to the obituary. "Tim was rarely seen without a smile and always left an unforgettable impression on everyone he came in contact with."

The Edder Funeral Home in Girard is handling arrangements. Visitation is on Saturday from 10 a.m. to the time of the funeral service at noon at the funeral home, at 309 Main St. East.

Defendant has prior record for gun case

Darling has a prior record, according to court documents in Pinellas County, Florida, which includes St. Petersburg, and the St. Petersburg Times.

In January 2011, the newspaper reported, Darling's 18-year-old girlfriend was fatally shot in the bedroom of a residence in Clearwater. Authorities determined the shooting was an accident, but Darling, then 18, was charged with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Police charged Darling with placing a handgun on the edge of the bed in a room where he was staying, the newspaper reported. It reported that police said the gun went off and killed Darling's girlfriend when she lay down on the bed and tried to moved the gun.

Darling had a prior conviction for motor vehicle theft, and he pleaded guilty in the gun case to a weapons charge, according to the St. Petersburg Times. It reported that Darling was sentenced to 15 years in state prison and released in that case in 2021.

Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNpalattella.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Police make arrest in killing of Erie PA native in St. Petersburg, FL