A veteran Florida sheriff’s deputy kidnapped and fatally shot his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself in a rented vehicle following an argument outside her home on Monday evening, according to law enforcement officials.
The suspect, identified as 44-year-old Troy Savetz, was a 14-year veteran of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office who served in the agency’s marine unit. He previously worked for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
According to Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, the victim and her two children, ages 12 and 9, arrived at their home on the 16800 block of Platinum Drive in Spring Hill around 5:30 p.m. after spending the day at the beach. Savetz was waiting on the front lawn when they pulled up.
An argument broke out between Savetz and the woman over a television set, during which Savetz snatched her phone, investigators said.
The woman instructed her children to run inside and dial 911. While the kids were inside calling for help, Savetz forced the mother into his rented vehicle and drove away from the scene.
Deputies located the vehicle a short time later. Both Savetz and the woman were pronounced dead inside from gunshot wounds, with investigators determining Savetz’s wound was self-inflicted. The identity of the victim has not been publicly released.
Sheriff Nocco credited the victim’s daughter for providing critical details during her emergency call that allowed authorities to quickly identify Savetz and track his vehicle.
“She is looking down from heaven and proud of them for doing what she asked,” Nocco said of the victim and her children.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri described the former couple’s relationship as tumultuous and noted the dispute appeared to stem from property ownership.
“This is an argument over a TV set,” Gualtieri said during a briefing. “Obviously, it’s deeper than that, but for that to spark him to decide that he is going to take his gun, kidnap her, shoot her, and kill her, and have her kids experience that over whatever relationship issues—and the spark was a TV set—it’s just horrible.”
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.
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