A Florida man has been arrested and charged with first-degree premeditated murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a Georgetown woman outside a Dollar General store last Friday afternoon.
Lemar Beasley, 54, was apprehended Saturday evening following a 24-hour multi-agency manhunt. He is accused of killing Cheyenne Kastens, 36.
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon in Fruitland. According to witnesses, both Kastens and Beasley were inside the Dollar General store, but preliminary reports indicate no known interaction or connection between the suspect and the victim at that time. Kastens was outside near her car when Beasley allegedly attacked and stabbed her.
Putnam County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived on the scene and immediately administered CPR until paramedics transported Kastens to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. A knife used in the attack was later recovered in the area.
Sheriff H.D. ‘Gator’ DeLoach said following the arrest, “Our prayers and deepest condolences are to the family and friends of Cheyenne Kastens.”
DeLoach added, “While I cannot take away their pain and sorrow… my promise to her family and our south Putnam community is that we will do everything to make sure this refuse of human garbage spends the rest of his life confined in a cell away from society and dies in prison. There is no reason for someone to lose their life for just going about their day.”
Beasley fled the scene immediately after the attack, prompting an extensive search involving multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives, working with limited initial information, were able to develop a suspect profile and locate Beasley in a camper he was residing in on property at Huntington Shortcut Road on Saturday afternoon.
Authorities revealed that Beasley is a convicted registered sex offender with a lengthy criminal record dating back to 1991. He was released from prison in July of this year after serving a five-year sentence for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements in 2021.
Following his arrest, Beasley was formally charged with first-degree premeditated murder, a capital felony. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. He is currently being held in custody.
READ: Michigan Father Charged With Murder Of Three Sons Days Before Release From Prison
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