TAMPA - A Seminole Heights woman who was murdered Monday believed that the suspect was stalking her, even though she had filed an injunction against him.
When you work the night shift as a nurse at Tampa General Hospital’s neo-natal intensive care unit, you are nurturing some of the most fragile new life.
"She cared for her patients with love and compassion. Larsen enjoyed her work. She was always energetic -- smiling, vivacious and bubbly. Work for her was truly fun," said Pam Sanders, a nursing supervisor at the hospital.
Nurses who worked alongside 25-year old Larsen Hunt, an HCC graduate and graduate nurse, knew she was just right for the job. That's why Sanders says she hired her. She says Hunt may have been so good at it because she loved being a mom so much.
"Larsen was an amazing mother. She referred to Aidric as her ‘little man.’ She was very knowledgeable and very proactive to not only meet, but exceed his needs as an autistic child," said Sanders.
While her five-year old was in school, police believe Hunt's ex-boyfriend, 30-year old Jason Skinner, attacked and killed her inside her Seminole Heights home Tuesday afternoon.
Skinner has a serious arrest record ranging from aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, DUI and trafficking cocaine. Hunt had filed a domestic violence injunction against him in late September.
"If he had not died yesterday, he would be arrested for her murder," said Andrea Davis, a Tampa Police spokesperson. "He did shoot her."
Police say Hunt had broken it off with her ex-boyfriend and made it clear to Jason Skinner by filing a domestic violence restraining order in late September.
"[Police] were called out to the house almost two weeks ago," said Davis. "Someone left flowers, a card and a pack of gum on her car. She was concerned. She thought it was Jason Skinner. We followed up with him. He referred us to his attorney. We also took the items for processing."
Hunt told police she was afraid. Investigators say their hands were tied, because no one saw Skinner leaving the items near her home. However, they sent the card left behind to a lab for fingerprint processing.
As for the injunction, some believe it doesn't help enough. "It's only the words that are written on a piece of paper. It does not stop a bullet. It does not stop a knife. It does not stop any weapon," said Natalie Baird, an attorney with www.R-U-Safe.org . "It will not prevent you from getting killed, hurt, or physically harmed in any fashion. What it does do, is it sends a message to the abuser, that if you do this, there will be consequences."
Baird calls this case ‘typical.’ She helps women file domestic violence injunctions and is a survivor herself.
"Even if you get an injunction, which I think is vitally important to get if you can do it safely, you need to make sure you have a safe place to stay once you have that injunction," she said.
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