TAMPA, Fla. — The State Attorney’s Office is officially raising the stakes for Susan Avalon, filing a notice of intent to seek the death penalty in a case that links two brutal killings across Hillsborough and Manatee counties.
Avalon is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of her 55-year-old ex-boyfriend in Tampa, a crime that authorities say was just one half of a deadly rampage.
The investigation was sparked on December 17, 2025, when the discovery of Avalon’s ex-husband’s body in Manatee County sent local law enforcement into high alert.
Fearing for the safety of others, Manatee authorities asked Tampa Police to perform a welfare check on another of Avalon’s former partners in Hillsborough County. When officers reached the home in the 1200 block of Frierson Avenue, they found the back door glass smashed and the victim dead from a gunshot wound.
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Detectives built their case on several pieces of physical evidence and witness reports that placed Avalon and her car near the Tampa home at the time of the murder. While the Manatee County killing is slated for a separate trial in its own jurisdiction, its proximity in time has shaped the gravity of the current prosecution.
To send Avalon to death row, Florida law requires prosecutors to prove specific statutory aggravating factors.
In this filing, the state argues the murder was committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner and was “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel.” They also pointed to the fact that the killing happened during a burglary and involved another violent felony.
“While our case focuses on one victim here in Hillsborough County, we know this tragedy did not end with one life,” State Attorney Suzy Lopez said. “Two families are grieving, and we are committed to seeking justice while standing with everyone impacted by this senseless violence.”
Chief of Major Crimes John Terry has been named lead prosecutor for the case. Avalon is currently being held as she awaits her next court appearance, a status hearing set for July 9th.
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