In March of 2023, a repeat felon and now-convicted murderer named Ezikiel Hopkins was found guilty of murdering two men, 61-year-old John Savey and his 31-year-old son, Jamie Savey. Additionally, Hopkins was found guilty on one count of attempted murder, as he badly beat Savey’s wife. Hopkins faced four counts in total, two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder, and one count of burglary with an assault. He was found guilty on all charges and was sentenced to four life terms in prison for the brutal 2020 assault.
Describing the 2020 attack at the time it occurred, local outlet WFTV 9 reported:
Officials were dispatched out to the 2900 block of Sunbittern Court around 11 p.m. Thursday evening after a 10-year-old called 911 to report his home was being burglarized. The boy was instructed to hide in a closet until police arrived.
[…]Further investigation revealed Hopkins attempted to steal a truck from the home where he was confronted by the couple who’ve owned the home since 1999, John and Lisa Savey.
Officials said Hopkins attacked and killed John Savey outside the home with a baseball bat. Hopkins then attacked Lisa Savey inside the home after she attempted to retreat, according to police. Lisa Savey survived the attack and sustained serious injuries.
The couple’s 30-year-old son, James Savey, was also attacked with a baseball bat inside the home. Officials said he died on scene.
The John and Lisa Savey were frequent attendees and involved members of their local church, as its pastor, Chuck Carter, told WFTV 9, saying, “This was a couple that was here every time the doors were open. They actually taught some classes for us. Those classes were popular people enjoyed those. They always had a smile on their face.”
Pastor Carter also said, ClickOrlando reported, “It’s been an incredibly tough week. John was a big old teddy bear. There was a lot of laughter around the Savey family. The room kind of lit up when they walked in. They were really people of joy.”
In addition to speaking about the couple, he organized a food sign up to help take care of meals for the survivors. Speaking about that, he said, “That filled up instantly. For the next couple of months, they are not going to have to worry about cooking. We’re going to take care of their meals. Everything we can do right now, we’re trying to do. I know there will be greater needs down the road.”
Sadly, the murders might have occurred because the police did not chase down Hopkins when they saw a truck that was likely him speeding through the area, as WFTV 9 also reported at the time, saying:
Officials said prior to the boy calling 911, members of the Ocoee Police Department observed a suspicious vehicle on Ocoee Apopka Road behind a construction area. The vehicle fled at a high rate of speed down McGuire Rd. and was not pursued pursuant to policy, according to police.
The vehicle then drove over a berm off Park Avenue before crashing into a tree next to the home where the double homicide occurred, according to police.
Further, court records from Orange County show that Hopkins had a prior history of felony charges dating back to 2009, including violating a protection order, resisting an officer, and tampering with evidence.
Featured image credit: Orange County Jail
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