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New details in Clearwater murder-suicide
Evyn Moon reports.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - A week ago, a Clearwater murder-suicide unfolded in a neighborhood in the 2300 block of Hillcreek Circle East in the Countryside area.
Audrey Peterson, 61, was killed by her ex-boyfriend, 71-year-old Francis Scoza, as she ran to a neighbor's house for help. It came just days after she requested a protective order against him – but was denied by a judge. New information also suggested he may have found out about the request and an impending hearing against him the day she was murdered.
Now, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna is calling on the judge involved in Peterson’s case to resign.
RELATED: 71-year-old Dunedin man shot, killed ex-girlfriend before killing himself: Clearwater Police
"The system failed her, they should have issued the protective order," Rep. Luna said. "If she had been respected as an individual, had they taken this seriously, she wouldn’t be dead right now."
But, Rep. Luna has a history with the one involved in this case, Judge Doneene Loar, as Luna was also denied a protective order from her own alleged stalker.
The CEO of The Spring Tampa Bay, an organization that helps domestic violence victims, said a piece of paper alone could not have protected Peterson.
"Questions we ask are ‘what do you think your partner will do if he or she finds out that you’ve filed an injunction?’ If the answer is ‘I think he might kill me,’ well then that’s a heightened risk, and we have to have some other safety considerations," Mindy Murphy with The Spring said. "[The protective order] is just a piece of paper, and this guy sounded like he was committed to killing her and a piece of paper is not going to stop that, but safety planning might have."
A court spokesperson issued a statement on behalf of Judge Loar:
"The Court is saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Ms. Petersen. There are legal requirements that must be established for the Court to issue a temporary injunction. Ms. Petersen’s petition did not contain enough detail for the judge to determine there had been multiple episodes of willful and malicious acts which had no purpose other than to harass the petitioner, and which would cause the petitioner substantial emotional distress. The judge could not legally grant a temporary injunction. As requested by Ms. Petersen, the judge did grant a hearing to afford the petitioner the right to further explain and have an opportunity to be heard."
According to police, the long-term relationship between Scoza and Petersen had recently ended. He arrived at her home at around 8 p.m. and forced his way through the back of the house.
Investigators said he then fired a shot at Peterson, which killed her.
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