A man is in custody after what deputies are calling a domestic violence related homicide that left one woman dead and another injured in Polk County.
Deputies were called to a home in the Sweetwater Golf and Tennis Community near Haines City just after 1 a.m. Saturday for a reported shooting.
When they got to the scene, deputies say they found 60-year-old David Murdock of Lake Wales sitting outside the front of the home. A handgun was found nearby in the driveway, according to the sheriff’s office.
The woman who lives at the home, 66-year-old Sandra Andrews, was found on the screened-in front porch with an apparent gunshot wound to her face. Deputies say she told them “David” shot her.
Deputies then found 56-year-old Lisa Bunce dead in a bedroom closet with an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
Friends told deputies that Bunce, who used to live in Lake Wales, had a “previous troubled relationship” with Murdock that ended in December 2017. Bunce then moved to Ohio but recently returned to Florida to visit friends, including Andrews.
Deputies say they learned from a friend that Murdock tried calling Andrews twice on Friday, but she didn’t answer. Bunce had Murdock’s number blocked so he couldn’t contact her. The friend also said Bunce previously spoke about Murdock threatening violence against her.
“Murdock told us he had to ‘Get rid of the Devil’ as an excuse for his actions. Lots of people blame the Devil for their misdeeds, but it takes a person to pull a trigger,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement.
Andrews was taken to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center to be treated for her gunshot wound. Deputies say she is expected to be okay.
Murdock is facing several charges, including first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. He is being held in the Polk County Jail on no bond.
“We are going to hold Murdock accountable for murdering his ex-girlfriend and trying to kill another woman,” Sheriff Judd said.
