Son of Hendry Co. murder victim speaks exclusively to WINK News

CLEWISTON, Fla.- The ex-boyfriend of a woman suspected of killing an elderly man in Hendry County says she admitted to the crime.

Sheryl Acevedo, 42, is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of 79-year-old Federico Gomez.

Gomez was found dead in his home on Avenida Del Centro after authorities reported to a house fire. Inside, Gomez’s body was found laying on top of a coffee table, and bullet casings and blood were found in the home, deputies said.

Acevedo’s ex-boyfriend of eight years, 65-year-old Robert Southern, says Acevedo called him Sunday night to tell him she had killed an old man. He then says he called deputies to turn her in.

But Acevedo’s husband, Daniel Long Jr., maintains his wife is innocent, and says his wife had been acting as a caregiver for Gomez for the past six months. Long says Acevedo wouldn’t have been able to overpower Gomez, who he described as a strong man.

“I watched him pick up 55-gallon drums full of bread, pull it out of his truck, set it on the ground. Watch him pick up tires throw ’em in the truck,” said Long. “Recently, like two weeks ago.”

But the victim’s son, Esteban Gomez, says that’s not true, and adds he’s never heard of Acevedo, until now.

“When he said that ‘oh he was a strong old man,’ that’s a lie. My father used to be a strong old man. In the last six months, I’ve really seen him starting to really slow down. He wasn’t as strong as he once was, he was really going downhill,” said Gomez.

Esteban Gomez says his father leaves behind three daughters and seven grandchildren. He says he’s shocked that his father was murdered, but also angry, and wants justice.

“He had a big heart and he would help anybody that he could, and he definitely did not deserve this. And I miss him, I miss him a lot,” said Esteban Gomez.

Another man, 69-year-old Reinaldo Cueves, is also in jail for obstruction of justice. Deputies say he lived in the trailer behind Gomez and gave them conflicting stories the night of the murder.

Acevedo has been arrested several times over the past few years, for charges including theft and burglary. She’s being held without bond at the Hendry County Jail.