A mother and her adult daughter were shot and killed outside a home in Pompano Beach, Florida, on Thursday night, and the man authorities describe as the mother's longtime live-in partner has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, the Broward Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies were called at about 8 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, to the 1500 block of Southwest Fifth Avenue, near an apartment complex in the Broward County city, after residents reported hearing gunfire. Pompano Beach Fire Rescue crews also responded to the scene.
Source: CBS News Miami, reporting the Broward Sheriff's Office
Victims identified as mother and daughter
The sheriff's office identified the two women on Friday as Suzanne Courtade, 66, and her daughter, Meghan Courtade, 23, both of Pompano Beach. Deputies found both women outside the home with gunshot wounds, and they were pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was reported injured.
Arrest and charges
A man who was first detained for questioning has since been arrested. The sheriff's office identified him as David Keith Thornton, 64, and said he has been charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder in the deaths of Suzanne and Meghan Courtade.
Source: Sun Sentinel reporting syndicated by Jupiter Current, citing the Broward Sheriff's Office
According to the arrest report, neighbours told detectives that Thornton, Suzanne Courtade and Meghan Courtade had lived together as a family for more than 18 years. Neighbours also told CBS News Miami that Thornton was Suzanne Courtade's live-in boyfriend. The charges are allegations, and Thornton is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court.
"We were sitting inside getting ready for the football game and just heard a couple of pops," a neighbour identified only as Sherry told CBS News Miami. She said she first thought the sounds were fireworks, that deputies arrived within seconds, and that she has lived in the normally quiet neighbourhood for 20 years.
What investigators have not said
Detectives have not released a motive, and the sheriff's office has not said what happened inside or outside the home in the moments before the shooting. What led to the gunfire remains unclear, and the Broward Sheriff's Office says its investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is typically asked to contact the sheriff's office or Broward Crime Stoppers.
What the charges mean in Florida
First-degree premeditated murder is the most serious homicide charge in Florida law: prosecutors must allege and prove that a killing was committed with a premeditated design to cause death. It is a capital felony, and under Florida's constitution a prosecution for a capital crime must be brought by a grand jury indictment. A conviction can carry life in prison without parole, and capital cases can also expose a defendant to the death penalty after a separate sentencing proceeding. None of those steps has happened yet in this case — at this stage there is an arrest and charges, not a verdict.
What happens next
The case will now move through the Broward County courts, beginning with a first appearance for the accused, followed by the grand jury process that a first-degree murder charge requires in Florida, and then arraignment and pre-trial proceedings. No court dates had been publicly announced as of Friday night. For neighbours on Southwest Fifth Avenue, the immediate aftermath is quieter streets, a continuing police investigation, and unanswered questions about how a Thursday evening that began with residents settling in to watch football ended with two members of one family dead.