A 23-year-old man is being held without bond after authorities say he shot his mother and set her on fire inside a Lee County home on July 25.
George Beemer faces charges of second-degree murder, first-degree arson, and abuse of a dead human body, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Emergency services originally responded to the residence after Beemer called emergency dispatch reporting chest pain. First responders evaluated Beemer and transported him to a nearby hospital. Shortly after crews cleared the scene, dispatch received a second call reporting a fire at the same location.
Firefighters arrived, extinguished the blaze, and discovered the severely burned body of a woman inside. Law enforcement did not formally release the victim’s name, but the Fort Myers News-Press identified her as 57-year-old Elizabeth Beemer.
Detectives determined that George Beemer allegedly shot Elizabeth Beemer, poured gasoline on her body, and ignited the fire that swept through the home.
According to local station WINK, Beemer told detectives he killed his mother and set the house on fire “because she wanted to be cremated.” Beemer allegedly cited years of pent-up anger, claiming his mother had mistreated and molested him.
A friend of Elizabeth Beemer pushed back against those claims when speaking with WINK.
“There’s absolutely no way. … No, no, absolutely never, never, no. I can’t buy it. I will never buy it. He’s using it as a defense mechanism to think that there’s any remote chance that this was justified,” the friend said.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno spoke on the nature of the crime following the arrest.
“This is one of the most horrific acts of violence imaginable. The cruelty in this case is beyond comprehension,” Marceno said.
On July 29, a judge ordered Beemer held without bond. Authorities say the investigation remains ongoing.
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