TAMPA, FL — Prosecutors announced they will seek the death penalty against Susan Avalon, 51, who is charged with fatally shooting both of her ex-husbands on the same day in December 2025, including one killing where she allegedly disguised herself as a food delivery driver.
The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office filed a notice of intent to seek capital punishment Tuesday for the murder of Timothy Flecher, 55, at his Tampa home. Avalon also faces second-degree murder charges in neighboring Manatee County for killing David Scott, 54, at his Bradenton residence on Dec. 17, 2025. Both men died from gunshot wounds in what investigators describe as a calculated killing spree that spanned two counties within hours.
The case gained widespread attention after Avalon’s response when deputies first approached her for questioning. According to Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells, when detectives told Avalon they wanted to discuss her ex-husband, she replied, “Which one?” Investigators say she was under the impression they were asking about Flecher’s death in Hillsborough County, not knowing authorities had yet to discover Scott’s shooting in Manatee County. Deputies observed Avalon emerging from her home with bleach and cleaning rags before wiping down her silver Honda Odyssey in the driveway.
Court documents reveal the timeline of the alleged crimes began around 3 p.m. on Dec. 17 when Manatee County deputies responded to Scott’s home on Chatum Light Run in Bradenton. Scott’s teenage daughter called 911 after finding her father suffering from two gunshot wounds to the chest. He survived long enough to tell responding deputies it was “possibly my ex-wife” who shot him before dying from his injuries. Investigators found a spilled cup of Panera Bread soup next to Scott’s body, leading them to nearby surveillance footage.
Security cameras at a Panera Bread restaurant approximately one-and-a-half miles from Scott’s home captured a woman matching Avalon’s description taking food from shelves designated for delivery drivers without paying. Sheriff Wells explained the alleged scheme at a press conference, saying, “Doesn’t pay for it, it’s not hers. She just decides this is gonna be her way to the front door.” The woman in gray hoodie and jeans seen on camera matched clothing descriptions from witnesses at both crime scenes. License plate readers tracked Avalon’s Honda Odyssey from Citrus County through Hillsborough County, across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge into Manatee County, and back home after the shootings.
The discovery of Scott’s shooting prompted Manatee County authorities to request a welfare check on Flecher at his Tampa home on Frierson Avenue. Tampa Police officers found the back door glass shattered and Flecher dead inside from a gunshot wound. Someone had called 911 using Flecher’s phone, but the caller never spoke. The open line captured sounds “consistent with possible gunshots” before disconnecting, according to court records. When dispatchers called back, a woman answered claiming she was exercising, said “just hit the button,” and hung up. Avalon’s current boyfriend later identified the female voice as Avalon’s.
To seek the death penalty under Florida law, prosecutors must establish statutory aggravating factors. State Attorney Suzy Lopez cited four grounds: the crime was committed in a cold, calculated and premeditated manner; it was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel; it occurred during a burglary; and the defendant was involved in a contemporaneous violent felony. “While our case focuses on one victim here in Hillsborough County, we know this tragedy did not end with one life,” Lopez said in a statement. “Two families are grieving, and we are committed to seeking justice while standing with everyone impacted by this senseless violence.” Florida executed five people in 2026 following a record 19 executions in 2025 under Governor Ron DeSantis.
Neighbors in Tampa reported seeing a woman in a gray hoodie and jeans leave Flecher’s home in a silver Honda Odyssey around the time of the shooting. The same clothing description matched surveillance footage from the Panera Bread and witness accounts from Scott’s neighborhood in Bradenton. Investigators recovered multiple pieces of physical evidence linking Avalon to both crime scenes, though specific details have not been disclosed. Court records show Avalon faces first-degree murder charges in Hillsborough County for Flecher’s death and second-degree murder charges in Manatee County for Scott’s killing. She has pleaded not guilty in both cases and remains held without bond in Hillsborough County.
Avalon is scheduled to appear for a status hearing on July 9 in Hillsborough County and July 30 in Manatee County, where the cases will be prosecuted separately. If convicted of first-degree murder, she could become the first woman executed in Florida since Aileen Wuornos in 2002. The state’s death penalty protocol involves a three-drug lethal injection using a sedative, paralytic, and drug that stops the heart, administered at Florida State Prison near Starke.
