Highlands County man kills suspected home intruder accused of shooting his wife

AVON PARK, Fla. - A Highlands County man is being praised by the sheriff’s office for stabbing an accused home intruder to death with a garden knife after deputies say the suspect shot the man’s wife.

According to the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, deputies went to a home on Joe Hilton Street in Avon Park around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday to investigate a suspicious incident. 

When deputies arrived, they said they found a man and a woman, both 69, suffering from serious injuries. The man told investigators that another person, who has since been identified as 62-year-old Lindsey Glen, was dead inside the home. 

According to Sheriff Paul Blackman, Glenn tricked the victims to get inside the home and may have even given them a different name at one point. 

"The female victim in this case has often notarized things for different folks in the community, and it’s not uncommon for someone to knock on the door and come into the house and for her to notarize something," Blackman said.

Once he was inside, investigators say he pulled out a gun and shot the woman in the face. 

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After seeing his wife get shot, deputies say the male victim grabbed a 7-inch garden knife and killed Glenn. 

"Ultimately, the suspect, Lindsey Glenn, was cut to pieces and was very much deceased by the time deputies could get to him," Blackman stated. 

Tyris Godfrey, a neighbor who lives across the street, said the wife came running over and was bleeding after the incident.

"Our next door neighbor had stumbled upon our porch, and she was not in a good situation," Godfrey said. "She was bleeding."

Deputies say Lindsey Glenn was killed by a Highlands County man after shooting the man's wife during a home invasion Thursday night. Image is courtesy of the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. 

Godfrey said his wife started helping the woman while they waited for first responders to arrive. He said he's grateful they were there to help neighbors that they consider family.

"Very loving people," Godfrey said. "They do whatever they can for the community. They feed the community. They’re church people. He’s a mechanic. Everybody in the neighborhood speaks very highly of them."

According to Blackman, Glenn has been convicted of at least 12 different felonies, which include robbery and burglary, and has been sent to state prison six times.

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The man who killed Glenn was treated at an area hospital and released. Blackman says there are no intentions to charge the husband in this case.

"I would like to commend the male victim for his bravery in defending his wife in their home," Blackman said. "We will pray for his wife that she has a fast and full recovery."

"If everyone defended their home and defended their family in such a nature, I think we’d have a lot less crime in our area," Blackman said.

Deputies say the man's wife is recovering at the hospital and is stable. The deadly incident is still under investigation. 

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