BRADENTON, FL – A Florida woman was arrested Wednesday after allegedly shooting both of her ex-husbands to death within hours of each other in two separate cities, with one victim managing to identify his killer before dying at the hospital.
Susan Avalon faces murder charges in Manatee County after authorities say she knocked on the door of her first ex-husband’s Bradenton home around 3 p.m. and shot him when he answered. The 54-year-old victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he told investigators he believed his former wife was responsible for the attack before succumbing to his injuries.
Avalon’s 15-year-old biological daughter was inside the home at the time but did not witness the shooting. The teenager reported hearing gunshots and watching a silver Honda Odyssey speed away from the residence.
Detectives discovered that before the killing, Avalon had stolen food from a Panera Bread location near her ex-husband’s house. Law enforcement tracked her vehicle across the Sunshine Skyway into Citrus County, where officers observed her attempting to clean her minivan with bleach and rags.
When deputies approached Avalon and mentioned they were investigating a shooting involving an ex-husband, she reportedly asked “which one?” That chilling response led investigators to a second crime scene in Tampa, where they found her most recent ex-husband dead from gunshot wounds inside his home.
Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said the crimes were as brazen as anything his department has encountered. “It doesn’t get any more brazen than this,” Wells told reporters. “This is a very active neighborhood.”
The sheriff revealed that Avalon owed her first ex-husband several thousand dollars in child support following their divorce 11 years ago. “She’s got beef with both these ex-husbands,” Wells said. “We believe she knew what she was doing. It was planned.”
Avalon has refused to cooperate with detectives and is being held on murder charges in Manatee County. Tampa police are expected to file additional charges in connection with the second killing.
