A 59-year-old Florida man, Louis Jules, is accused of murdering two people in Tampa. Allegedly, one of the victims’ cellphones ended up recording the incident, which was then found by the police.
Videos by Suggest
As reported by WFLA, the incident occurred on Friday, October 3. At around 11 a.m., Tampa Police Department (TPD) officers responded to El Portal Drive and found two victims dead: a 37-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman.
Hours later, the police arrested Louis Jules. The outlet reported that police investigators did not mention how they connected Jules to the crime. However, a criminal report affidavit reviewed by Law & Crime named the key piece of evidence an “active video” recording found in the woman’s phone.
Allegedly, when TPD officers arrived at the scene, they found the phone right next to the dead woman. The device was still recording video, and police reviewed the footage.
The affidavit detailed that the video showed a man, later identified as Jules, allegedly standing outside the truck with a cup and a set of keys. At one point, Jules is seen reaching into the vehicle and searching for something, according to the document.
The male victim allegedly told Jules, “Hey, you can’t go in my car,” with the woman saying, “You can’t search [his] vehicle.”
Jules, allegedly, then threw the contents of his cup at the male victim, grabbed his gun, and started shooting. Moments later, Jules closed the vehicle’s door and left the scene, the police said.
Suspect Arrested, Interviewed
After being identified by his acquaintances, Louis Jules was arrested. He is accused of discarding a semi-automatic pistol in a truck as police officers approached him.
In a post-Miranda interview with the police, Jules allegedly said that he knew the victims, as he had sold them a vehicle. They, however, “owed him money,” the affidavit said.
Following an argument the previous night, Jules explained, they arrived at his home on October 3. He believed they were driving him to an ATM to give him his money. Therefore, he started to enter their vehicle. Jules, however, allegedly became angry when the victims started telling him to get out.
Finally, when officers showed Jules the video, he identified himself, the police said.
Louis Jules was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of tampering with evidence. He remains at the Hillsborough County Jail without bond, and his next court appearance is scheduled for October 9.
“While the pain of losing a loved one never goes away, I’m proud of the swift work of our officers and detectives that will bring these families some answers,” Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said. “Crimes like this will not be tolerated, and our officers and detectives proved their determination to deliver justice quickly.”