A 33-year-old man, Leslie Dale Boileau, Jr., a former Florida sheriff’s deputy, might spend several decades in prison for the 2024 death of his girlfriend, 25-year-old Polina Wright. Boileau accidentally killed her by shooting her in the head while “training” her in firearms.
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As reported by Law & Crime, a Marion County jury found Boileau guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in connection with Wright’s 2024 killing. His sentencing has yet to be set, pending the completion of a pre-sentence investigation report. The former Marion County Sheriff’s deputy faces up to 30 years in prison.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the outlet, the incident occurred on September 19, 2024. Ocala Police Department (OPD) officers responded to a Marion County location in Florida after receiving a call from Boileau himself. He told the 911 dispatcher at the time that he had shot Wright, describing the shooting as an “accidental discharge.”
Upon arrival, OPD officers found Boileau holding Wright’s head while she sat in a chair inside the residence. The man was removed from the scene, and Wright was pronounced deceased after sustaining a gunshot wound to her forehead. A 9mm handgun was found on her lap.
Police officers also found a Daniel Defense rifle on the kitchen table, which was the weapon used in the shooting.
Confession
Boileau told the police that, before shooting Wright, the two were pointing the guns at each other as he was cleaning them. He said that Wright had requested him to teach her how to use the firearms. While they were pointing the guns at each other during “training,” the rifle “went off,” fatally striking Wright in the head.
“I told her I did not want this to happen,” Boileau spontaneously uttered, as per the affidavit. “I did not want to train her in the f–king house like this.”
During questioning, Boileau revealed that he and Wright had been drinking at a restaurant. After returning home, he noticed that firearm cleaning supplies had been delivered to his house. This prompted Wright to ask about the guns. He added that he knew that pointing the weapons at each other was “wrong,” due to his “profession as law enforcement officer.”
During a second interview, Leslie Dale Boileau, Jr., told the police that he had “entered a loaded magazine into the rifle as he was planning on putting the rifle away.” At the time, he noticed Wright handling the handgun, which was fully loaded. After clearing the handgun of any live ammunition, Boileau allowed Wright to “dry fire the weapon.”
Then, the former sheriff’s deputy dry-fired his rifle once. Then, when he attempted to dry fire the rifle a second time, a shot was fired. The 33-year-old had forgotten he had just placed the loaded magazine into the rifle.