Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Orlando, FL: Deltona fatal stabbing victim had foreseen her fate; estranged husband charged

Investigators believe a Deltona woman found dead in a Longwood parking lot was murdered by her estranged husband, a Seminole County sheriff's official said Tuesday night.

Seminole County sheriff's investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Dwayne White, 40, of Orlando, charging him with first-degree murder, Seminole sheriff's Lt. James Clark said.

He was being held Tuesday night with no bail allowed at the Volusia County Branch Jail, a booking officer said.

Volusia deputies had arrested White on Monday in Orlando on several charges, including intimidating a witness, battery, robbery, strong-arm robbery and throwing a deadly missle. The Seminole charge was added Tuesday.

The body of Sarah Yvonne Rucker, 42, of Wellington Drive in Deltona was discovered in the parking lot of a Miami Subs at 2035 W. State Road 434 in Longwood at 5:38 a.m. Monday, said Seminole sheriff's spokeswoman Kim Cannaday.

Deputies responding to a suspicious-person call found Rucker, a surgical technician at Florida Hospital Altamonte, unresponsive in the parking lot about three miles from the hospital where she worked, officials said. Rucker was pronounced dead at the scene, Cannaday said.

Rucker died of several stab wounds to the neck and face, Clark said.

"There were many of them, so it was a very violent death with a sharp-edged weapon like a knife," Clark said.

White is the prime suspect because a couple hours before the killing he had been to Rucker's Wellington Drive home and attacked her, Clark said.

White fled from Rucker's home and investigators believe Rucker was in Seminole County for reasons yet unknown and ran into White. White then took Rucker to the Miami Subs, where the homicide was carried out, Clark said.

According to Volusia County Sheriff's Office reports, deputies have been to the Wellington Drive home in Deltona several times for domestic abuse incidents.

In February, Rucker pressed felony domestic battery charges against White. In that incident, Rucker became very scared White was going to kill her the next time he saw her after he head-butted her and tried to strangle her, investigators said.

"I'm as good as dead," Rucker told Volusia sheriff's investigators.

Rucker had redness and swelling to her wrist, neckline and cheek area where White head-butted her, investigators said.

On Monday, Volusia deputies said White came to Rucker's home at 1:57 a.m. and attacked her.

According to the report, White pushed Rucker to the ground and tried to hit her with a beer bottle but missed. White then fled from the home, Volusia deputies said.

A few hours later Rucker was found dead on State Road 434 in the parking lot of the sub shop, Seminole sheriff's investigators said.

Rucker had worked for more than 10 years at Florida Hospital Altamonte, said Ashley White, hospital spokeswoman.

"She was a member of our surgical team," White said.

Hospital officials issued a statement on Tuesday about Rucker's death.

"The Florida Hospital Altamonte family is grieving the unexpected and tragic loss of Sarah Rucker, a valued member of our surgical team. Sarah will be deeply missed as our thoughts and prayers are with family and friends during this difficult time," the statement reads.

No one was at Rucker's Wellington Drive home in Deltona on Tuesday and family members could not be reached.

A neighbor who did not want to give her name said Rucker was a very nice woman who always said hello.

"I was the first to go welcome her when she moved into her house she bought in 2004," the neighbor said.

Rucker was a hard worker and could be seen walking down the street at times in her hospital scrubs, the neighbor said.

She had two girls and two boys. Her oldest had just graduated high school and a second child had just started high school, the neighbor said.

"She was a very industrious lady who did well for kids," the neighbor said.

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