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Second arrest in case of mother murdered in car
Phillip Stapleton, 32, was charged with principal to murder in the first degree and conspiracy to commit first degree murder, according to deputies. 32-year-old Aurelio Diaz had already been arrested for the murder of Ashley Voss.
SEFFNER, Fla. - A man who has been arrested in connection with the murder of a Seffner mother has also been charged with killing a man who was found on the side of a Thonotosassa road in June 2021.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Phillip Stapleton, 32, who was a possible suspect in both homicides, was taken into custody on August 14 for his alleged role in the shooting death of 22-year-old Ashley Voss.
Stapleton was arrested in Pasco County on charges of principal to murder in the first-degree and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
He's the father of Voss' youngest son.
Phillip Stapleton was arrest and charged, according to deputies.
Deputies say Aurelio Diaz, 32, is the man who pulled the trigger as Voss drove up to her home on the 4000 block of Orange Street on July 20.
Diaz was arrested on first-degree premeditated murder charges about one mile away from the crime scene the day after she was killed.
According to an affidavit, Stapleton is friends with Diaz and picked him up at a Circle K gas station just after midnight that morning.
Aurelio Diaz mugshot courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
They then drove towards Ashley's grandmother's house in Seffner, where Stapleton dropped Diaz off on a nearby street.
According to investigators, around 1 a.m. a neighbor’s ring doorbell camera captured Diaz walking up to Voss’s car and shooting her through her car window as she sat in the driver’s seat outside of her grandmother's house.
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Seffner woman murdered: Full press conference
Deputies are investigating after they say a woman was killed in cold blood and left inside a vehicle outside a home in Seffner.
Right up until the point of the shooting, deputies also say Ashley had exchanged texts with Stapleton, telling him where she was.
Voss’ family explained that the two had recently been arguing over child support, and Stapleton was threatening her.
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Murder victim’s family searches for justice
The man accused of shooting and killing a Seffner mother of two was friends with the mother of one of her children and documents show he was caught on camera talking to the man about the murder.
"Our dedicated detectives have displayed tireless determination in both of these investigations," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "This shameless killer thought he could get away with murder on multiple occasions. His cold-blooded crimes end now. While nothing can fully heal the damage he has caused, I pray these victims' loved ones find comfort in knowing Stapleton will now have to answer for his actions."
Stapleton is now facing additional charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.