Father and son are beaten to death by burglar with a baseball bat as 10-year-old grandson calls 911 and locks himself in bathroom

Daily Mail ^ | 7/31/20

[Altura Ct.]

Ezekiel Hopkins, 34, faces charges of murder and aggravated assault Hopkins is accused of bludgeoning to death John Savey, 61, and injuring his wife, Lisa, and also killing their 30-year-old son, James Police in Florida say the couple confronted Hopkins as he was trying to steal their car

John and Lisa's 10-year-old grandson called 911 to report the attack and hid in the bathroom

Hopkins was hospitalized after possibly ingesting bleach before police arrived

Court records in Orange County indicate that Hopkins has a prior history of arrests on felony charges dating back to at least 2009.

He was previously convicted of violating a protection order, resisting an officer and tampering with evidence.

In 2012, Hopkins was acquitted of battery and aggravated stalking.

According to his LinkedIn page, John Savey had served as managing partner at Longview Outdoor Advertising Company for the past 20 years. A man has been accused of beating to death a Florida homeowner and his adult son with a baseball bat while trying to steal a car.

Officers were summoned to a home in the 2900 block of Sunbittern Court in Windemere on Thursday night after getting a 911 call from the slain homeowner's 10-year-old grandson reporting a violent burglary in progress.

A dispatcher instructed the child to hide in a bathroom until police arrived. The boy was unharmed.

The suspect, identified as Ezekiel Hopkins, 34, was found inside another bathroom in the victim's home.

A preliminary investigation has revealed that Hopkins was allegedly trying to steal

a vehicle at around 11pm when he was confronted by the owners, John and Lisa Savey, both aged 61, reported WFTV.

Police said the intruder bludgeoned John to death with a baseball bat, then chased his wife into the house and attacked her as well, inflicting serious injuries.

[lodi90]

more likely, the victims were liberals.

---

My thought too but father was a registered Republican. I didn’t check the kid.

[infool7]

While walking our dogs in the woods many years ago

we encountered a coyote on the trail, we were able

to avoid a confrontation but in later discussions I learned

that the meanest domestic dog was no match for a wild coyote

that is accustomed to fighting for it’s life every day.

We must not be naive about the threats we face.

7

[Old Grumpy]

Two things come to mind when seeing this story: 1) Why is this only to be found in a British publication, rather than one of our own?  And 2)  Why, WHY didn’t this family have a gun or GUNS in their home for protection?

Or did I miss something?

[spacejunkie2001]

how sad. and no law abiding citizen should be without protection these days...REAL protection.

[The Antiyuppie]

“Yep. The foreign media is the only way we hear these stories.“

The Daily Mail is the modern version of Radio Free Europe, except in reverse.

[KevinB]

You two are absolutely correct. I checked the law in what used to be the great Commonwealth of Virginia. Brandishing in order to protect personal property is a crime even if it’s on your own property. Unless you have a reasonable belief that you’re subject to imminent bodily harm you can’t even brandish on your own property.

[arthurus]

I violent felony strike. Short life term the mandatory punishment.

[Starcitizen]

Black ferals and white communists are turning the US into Zimbabwe or South Africa, while their sponsor, the demonrat party, disarms the rest of us.

[cabbieguy]

You either live in Minneapolis, Portland or Seattle, enjoy your little corner of hell.

[arthurus]

No. It’s Florida. They have no excuse. When the one went out to confront the fellow trying to steal his car he should have had gun in hand and stayed 20 feet away. If the guy moved toward him, shoot multiple times. Living in a gated condo does not absolve you from being armed and protecting yourself and yours.

[arthurus]

Death sentence is not instructive to others because it comes with 10 to 30 years of additional life. We have to return to one appeal permitted and 30 days for that appeal.

[Captain Walker]

I'm sure this is something that depends on the state; I remember reading a story years ago about a repo man who had been shot and killed while repossessing a car in Texas. The car owner was never prosecuted because he testified that he thought his car was being stolen and not repossessed.

To me the issue is a moral one. If I'm in the car or a loved one is in the car, then there would be concern for someone's life. But without that, then using a weapon to protect an automobile that's insured anyway is a pretty risky step to take; even if you just injure the person, the legal expenses you will pay will almost certainly exceed the value of the car.

[KevinB]

Yeah, each state will have its own laws on the matter. The lesson I take away is leave the gun in your pocket when confronting the perp. If he pulls out a gun - or a baseball bat - it’s game on.

[mikeIII]

This whole experiment in a democratic republic might have looked great on paper some 250 years ago, but I think it's becoming more apparent by the day (if not by the hour) that it's increasingly unworkable.

That seems like a profound statement - but looking at China, with a communist system, becoming a super power in a few decades while we are on the decline, makes you wonder.

[bkopto]

When the balloon goes up, consider giving your local media outfits a visit.

[Osage Orange]

Did I not say 3 months?

Yes I did..

[arthurus]

Actually, I support the concept of the Short Life Sentence- 30 to 90 days.

[Osage Orange]

Good..as do I.

[cabbieguy]

Your right, they wanted 10 year sentences, out in 3, and right back to a life of crime.

[FLT-bird]

This is why you need to have at least one loaded gun handy at all times.