Digest

3 killed, 2 hurt in crash on one-way street

By TIMES WIRES
Published June 18, 2007

BRADENTON - Three people died and two more were injured when a speeding car traveled the wrong way down a one-way street and hit another car, authorities said.

Terence Papoutsakis, 34, of Bradenton, was driving the wrong way down the one-way street early Saturday morning when his vehicle crashed into another car that was stopped at a traffic light, Bradenton police Lt. Darrell Akemon said.

The driver of the stopped car, Tommy Lawrence, 27, of Palmetto, tried to avoid the crash but was killed in it.

Lawrence's passengers - Stacy Lord, 27, and Julia Earl, 32, both of Bradenton - also died, police said. All three died on the scene, Akemon told the Herald of Bradenton. Papoutsakis and his passenger, Anthony W. Shoates, 42, were injured in the crash, Akemon said. Their injuries were not life-threatening.

Police are investigating and charges are pending.

Pair found in car trunk killed in nearby home

LAUDERHILL - The bodies of a man and woman found stuffed in a car trunk were killed at a home several blocks away, authorities said Sunday.

A witness told police they saw a man placing what appeared to be a dead body in the trunk of a silver vehicle at a home about 8:25 p.m. Saturday. The car was abandoned and the bodies discovered 10 blocks away at a Sunrise apartment complex, said Lauderhill Lt. Rick Rocco.

A SWAT team returned to the house early Sunday looking for suspects but found it was unoccupied, Rocco said. Investigators searched the home for evidence.

The names and ages of the victims were not released. Police did not reveal how they died. The bodies were taken to the Broward Medical Examiner's Office to be autopsied.

Orlando man drowns off Cocoa Beach

COCOA BEACH - A 26-year-old man drowned off Cocoa Beach on Sunday, authorities said.

Swimmers saw the man's body in the water about 4:30 p.m. and called 911. Rescue workers pulled the unconscious man out of the water and performed CPR, Brevard County Chief Lifeguard Wyatt Werneth said.

The man, whose name was not released, was from Orlando.

Rip currents, which were strong in nearby Volusia County all weekend, were not considered bad in Brevard County on Sunday, Werneth told the Orlando Sentinel.

Telephone calls placed to Brevard County lifeguards and the Sheriff's Office by the Associated Press were not immediately returned Sunday night.

Double murder-suicide suspected in deaths

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS - Three people are dead after an apparent double murder-suicide Sunday at an assisted living facility.

A man and two women were found dead from gunshot wounds inside a room at Merrill Gardens at Lake Orienta about 3:30 p.m., Altamonte Springs police said.

Authorities believe the man and one of the women were married, the Orlando Sentinel reported for today's edition.

The identities of the victims have not been released.

Telephone messages left for Altamonte Springs police by the Associated Press were not immediately returned Sunday night.

[Last modified June 18, 2007, 00:41:28]