Religious motives in deadly ambush of deputy revealed on body camera, Florida cops say
Deputies responding to a 911 call in Florida were ambushed in an apparently religiously motivated attack, leaving one dead and two injured, sheriff’s officials say.
Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said the deadly attack took place the night of Friday, Aug. 2, as deputies were responding to a 911 call accusing a woman later identified as Julie Ann Sulpizio, 48, of trespassing and assaulting people on the caller’s property.
“The (911 caller) stated she was acting religious, accusing them of being sinners, and she knows what they did,” Grinnell said in a Monday news conference. “They identified Julie Sulpizio as their neighbor, but Julie states that she is ‘Helen’ under God’s will.”
When a deputy arrived at the home of the caller around 8 p.m., they were met with Sulpizio, who is accused of asking one of the “battered” victims “who is your God?” and saying she needed to trick “Lucy,” later revealed to be a nickname for Lucifer. She then tried to convince the people she is accused of assaulting into walking toward her home down the street before she approached the deputy who was brandishing a taser, according to the sheriff.
She continued to walk toward the deputy, calling the taser “God’s light,” and was then subdued and handcuffed, according to the sheriff.
Deputies then conducted a welfare check on Sulpizio’s home to check on her husband, Michael Sulpizio, and their two daughters, Cheyenne and Savannah Sulpizio. Two dogs were found killed in the front yard, along with an open window, and more deputies were called in to respond to a suspected burglary or home invasion, according to the sheriff.
Deputies reported entering the home and were then met with ”a hail of” gunfire, hitting Bradley Michael Link, 28, who became trapped in the home, and Harold Howell, 41, who was removed from the home and later revealed to be in stable condition at a hospital.
Those inside the home refused to let deputies extract Link, according to the sheriff, and a woman inside the residence was heard on body camera footage yelling, “my king will kill all of you. You are Lucifer’s children.” More deputies were then called to the scene.
Deputies, including one identified as 28-year-old Stefano Gargano, then entered the home in an attempt to rescue Link, and were met with more gunfire. Gargano was hit, removed from the home and rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
A SWAT team then entered the home, where Michael and his daughters were found with self-inflicted gunshot wounds, ultimately killing all three. Link was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“We will do everything we can to bring justice to the families of the victims,” said State Attorney Bill Gladstone of the Fifth Judicial District. “This was nothing short of ambush.”
Grinnell said a search warrant was executed on the home after it was cleared, discovering a surplus of firearms — including high-caliber rifles, pistols and shotguns — staged in the living room. Gas masks, body armor, Ghillie suits, medical bags and anti-government propaganda and conspiracy theory related media were among other items found throughout the home, he said.
Julie Sulpizio later told deputies that “God speaks to her” and that she was trying to lure the neighbors she’s accused of assaulting to her home so her husband could kill them, according to the sheriff’s office. She faces charges including first-degree premeditated murder of a law enforcement officer, seven counts of attempted murder and felony battery.
“Our sheriff’s office family is hurting, and all of you are helping us through this horrific nightmare,” Grinnell said.
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Religious motives in deadly ambush of deputy revealed on body camera, Florida cops say."
