Ex-wife charged in ‘brazen’ shooting that killed Bradenton man, sheriff says
Manatee County detectives arrested a 51-year-old woman Wednesday night on a murder charge in the fatal shooting of a Bradenton man, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators arrested Susan Avalon at her Citrus County home after the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said she allegedly shot and killed a 54-year-old man who answered the door at his Bradenton home earlier that day.
Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said Thursday that investigators believe the killing in Bradenton was part of a “brazen” double homicide that began earlier the same day in Hillsborough County, where the suspect allegedly fatally shot her second ex-husband before traveling to Manatee County.
Wells said investigators realized the scope of the case expanded while confronting the suspect at her Citrus County home.
Woman arrested in ‘brazen’ murder, sheriff says
“Detectives let her know that they are there to speak about her ex-husband,” Wells said. “She says, ‘Which one?’”
The arrest follows a shooting Wednesday afternoon at a home in the 7000 block of Chatum Light Run in the Heritage Harbour community. Deputies responded about 2:55 p.m. and found the man suffering from a gunshot wound, the sheriff’s office said.
“It doesn’t get any more brazen than this,” Wells said. “This is a very active neighborhood, three o’clock in the afternoon on a Wednesday, kids coming home from school. She didn’t seem to care.”
Investigators said the victim told deputies the shooter came to his home and shot him after he answered the door. Detectives previously said they believed the shooting was targeted and not a random act of violence.
Detectives said they later determined the suspect used stolen food to get the victim to open the door. Wells said investigators believe Avalon stopped at a nearby Panera Bread before the shooting, took a food delivery order that did not belong to her and carried it to the victim’s home to make contact. When the door opened, Wells said, she fired three shots, striking the victim once in the abdomen.
Wells said deputies were able to speak briefly with the victim before he died. “Deputies asked him this, ‘Who could have done this to you?’” Wells said. “And he says, ‘Possibly my ex-wife.’”
Bradenton man killed by ex-wife, deputies say
The man later died at a local hospital the same evening, according to the sheriff’s office. His name has not been released under Marsy’s Law.
Investigators with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said information provided by the victim and evidence collected during the investigation led to the arrest.
Wells said the victim’s 15-year-old daughter was inside the home at the time. While she did not witness the shooting, Wells said, she heard the gunfire and reported seeing a silver Honda Odyssey leaving the area, driven by a masked person wearing a gray sweatshirt.
Investigators said they later learned the victim’s ex-wife owned a silver Honda Odyssey. Using license plate reader technology, detectives said they tracked the vehicle traveling south across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and back toward Citrus County, where Avalon lives.
Wells said that when detectives arrived at Avalon’s Citrus County home, they observed her attempting to destroy evidence.
“She comes out of the house for bleach and cleaning rags,” Wells said. “Gets into the silver Odyssey and begins to wipe down the car.”
Wells said investigators realized the case could involve more than one victim during that confrontation. When detectives told Avalon they were there to speak with her about an ex-husband, Wells said, she asked which one they meant.
Boyfriend described shooter’s strange behavior, Wells say
Wells said Avalon has not otherwise cooperated with investigators or provided a statement about the killings. Instead, he said detectives gathered key information from her live-in boyfriend.
According to Wells, the boyfriend told investigators that Avalon made an unusual remark earlier that day, telling him that she loved him “in case something happens to her,” a statement he said was out of character.
Wells said the boyfriend also described Avalon’s actions after she returned home. He told investigators that she entered the shower fully clothed while still wearing the gray sweatshirt seen on surveillance footage and made derogatory comments about her ex-husbands, but did not confess to the shootings.
Based on that information, Wells said Manatee County investigators contacted Tampa police and asked officers to conduct a welfare check on Avalon’s second ex-husband in Hillsborough County. Police later found him shot and killed inside his home, and investigators believe that shooting occurred earlier Wednesday, before Avalon traveled to Manatee County.
Investigators said they believe the violence may be connected to ongoing personal disputes between Avalon and the Bradenton victim, including issues related to child custody and child support. Avalon owed the victim about $4,000 in back child support and faced a potential driver’s license suspension later this month if the balance was not paid, Wells said.
‘Premeditated’ double homicide under investigation
But investigators are still working to understand why the shootings happened Wednesday.
“We don’t know why yesterday was the day that she decided to take this action,” Wells said.
Wells said Avalon currently faces a second-degree murder charge in Manatee County, but prosecutors plan to seek a more severe charge.
“We believe this is premeditated. She knew what she was doing. It was planned. She came here to kill her ex-husband,” Wells said.
Wells said Avalon had prior arrests related to child abuse and custody disputes dating back to 2004, including a case in Virginia and other cases in Tampa and Pasco County that were later dropped. He said she had no other significant criminal history.
Investigators are still working to recover the firearm used in the Manatee County shooting and continue to process evidence connected to the case, Wells said. Detectives have obtained a search warrant for the silver Honda Odyssey, but had not completed a full search of the vehicle as of Thursday.
Charges related to the Hillsborough County homicide will be handled separately . That shooting remains under investigation by the Tampa Police Department, with Manatee County investigators coordinating with them, Wells said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at (941) 747-3011. Those wishing to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward can contact Manatee County Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS or submit a tip online.
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 10:49 AM.
