PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (WFLA) — The arrest of an 18-year-old Florida man has led police to believe they may have stopped a potential serial killer in his tracks.
On Wednesday, Omarion Ivory, of Port St. Lucie, was arrested in the killing of 67-year-old Francis Gennacem, the Port St. Lucie Police Department said. The arrest warrant was served at the St. Lucie County Jail, where Ivory was already held after a Sept. 20 arrest.
Gennacem was found dead just inside the front door of his home on the morning of Sept. 12. His coworkers had called for a welfare check when Gennace did not show up for work for several days.
Gennace had approximately 45 stab wounds to his head and neck, an arrest report said. Next to him was a knife with a 4-inch blade. Another knife was found in a bedroom, but it is unclear where that knife came from, police said.
According to officers, Gennace was home alone, as his wife was out of town for several days. He appeared to have been cooking a meal when he answered the door and was violently attacked, as there were no signs of forced entry.
After officials surveyed more than 600 hours of neighborhood footage, Ivory was spotted canvassing the area on the morning of Sept. 8, walking toward Gennace’s home, and then leaving the area roughly 30 minutes later on a bike.
On Sept. 20, Ivory was arrested after he was banging on the door and looking through the windows of a home where a woman lived alone while armed with a hammer. He fled on a bicycle before he was taken into custody.
Detectives linked the crimes, which occurred roughly five miles apart. They compared the suspect’s clothing and shoes, bicycle — which was discovered to be stolen — and neighborhood surveillance footage.
“All accounts lead us to believe that Mr. Ivory was probably preparing to commit a second homicide that day,” Assistant Police Chief Leo Niemczyk said in a news conference. “A second random act and a second person not known to him.”
“We may have had an undetected serial killer in the works,” the chief added.
Officials said Ivory did not know either of his targets personally, and there is no known motive.
When detectives seized the weapons, blood found on the hammer was confirmed to be Gennace’s. The knife found next to Gennace’s body had Ivory’s fingerprints, and his shoe size and shoe patterns matched those at the crime scenes, according to police.
Police believe he acted alone.
The chief said he has a juvenile arrest history, and his family claimed he has a history of paranoid schizophrenia, but that is not officially confirmed.
Ivory is facing charges of first-degree premeditated murder, armed burglary, loitering and prowling, possession of burglary tools, burglary and grand theft.
He was being jailed without bond.
