Florida woman saves swimmer later revealed as murder suspect

A Florida woman rushed to rescue a struggling swimmer, only to later find out that he is a double homicide suspect on the run.

What began as a peaceful morning stroll near Riomar Beach in Vero Beach turned into a life-saving mission for a woman named Belinda, though the encounter would later leave her in total shock. While walking along the shore on March 24, she heard faint cries for help coming from the ocean. Looking out, she spotted a man in serious distress, struggling against the waves, News.Az reports, citing People. Without hesitation, Belinda rushed into the water, instructing the exhausted swimmer to flip onto his back and let the tide carry him toward the sand.

Once they reached the shore, the man appeared completely spent. Surveillance footage released by the Vero Beach Police Department shows the man crawling slowly out of the surf while Belinda crouches beside him to offer support. When she asked if he was alright, he admitted he was "exhausted" and remarked that he would never swim out that far again. In a detail that would later seem chilling, he told her he planned to take a "long vacation" now that he was back on land. Belinda had no way of knowing that the man she had just pulled from the sea was 64-year-old Jesse Scott Ellis, a fugitive wanted for a brutal crime committed just hours earlier.

Police believe that earlier that morning, Ellis fatally shot his estranged wife, Stacie Mason, and her companion, Danny Ooley, in a library parking lot. The victims were both dedicated county employees, and investigators suggest the shooting was the violent culmination of a messy divorce and the pending sale of the couple’s home. By the time detectives linked the "struggling swimmer" to the double homicide, Ellis had already vanished from the beach.

Reflecting on the experience after learning the man’s identity, Belinda admitted it was a frightening realization but maintained her humanity. She told local news that she still would have helped him because she "could not leave him in the water no matter what," noting that everyone is going through their own struggles. However, she noted that had she known who he was, her first call would have been to 911. Jesse Scott Ellis remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous, with authorities urging the public to stay away and report any sightings immediately.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova