Around the state

Motive unclear in Daytona Beach murder-suicide

DAYTONA BEACH -- Police are attempting to determine why a 40-year-old man shot a resident of the apartment complex where he worked as part of the maintenance staff, then turned the handgun on himself.

The body of Angel Irizarry was found Sunday night outside the door of the apartment inhabited by Ronald Clark, 42, his 31-year-old wife Melissa Clark, and their two children.

Irizarry, police said, shot himself after killing Ronald Clark moments earlier. Irizarry shot Clark several times, then demanded that Melissa Clark let him into the apartment. When she refused, Irizarry shot himself in the head, police said.

Daytona Beach police spokesman Al Tolley said a domestic dispute may have triggered the incident. Irizarry had left a suicide note at his home, but that note provided no clues why Ronald Clark was killed, police said.

The killing of Ronald Clark was the 35th murder in Volusia County this year, which is the most since the state began keeping computerized homicide records in 1984.

Teen accused of burning black church released

MIAMI -- The 12-year-old boy arrested and charged with setting fire to the oldest historically black Catholic church in Miami-Dade County has been released from a juvenile center, officials said.

William Lee Worthy was released to his mother's custody on Monday, but must wear an electronic monitoring bracelet around his ankle while attending school. He will return to court for another hearing Jan. 16, officials said.

Worthy was charged Dec. 20 with first-degree arson and burglary after the fire at St. Francis Xavier Church in Miami's Overtown area. He had been expelled from the church's school in 2001, officials said.

The fire caused $600,000 in damage and forced parishioners to attend Christmas services in St. Francis Xavier's school cafeteria.

Worthy's attorney, Richard Marx, said his client is innocent.

Teacher gets 3 months for excessive paddling

PUNTA GORDA -- A parochial school teacher and administrator has been sentenced to three months in jail for excessively paddling an 8-year-old girl as punishment for allegedly lying and cheating in his classroom.

The Rev. Paul King of the Charlotte Regional Christian Academy was sent to Charlotte County Jail immediately after Monday's sentencing by Judge Sherra J. Winesett, who also sentenced the man to nine months of house arrest and four years' probation.

King, 48, is the pastor of Harborview Christian Church in Port Charlotte. He was arrested in June 2001 on a felony aggravated child abuse charge after spanking Kimberly Malloy twice with a board, officials said.

Malloy had bruises for two weeks after the paddling, officials said.

Corporal punishment is legal in Florida, unless one intentionally attempts to injure another.

Assistant State Attorney John Burns said he was disappointed by the sentence. Burns had asked for a sentence of at least one year. Under state law, King could have been sentenced to five years in prison.

King said he will file an appeal on Thursday.

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