‘ Accused killer stabs man 45 times, may have tried a second time: PSLPD

PORT ST. LUCY, Fla. (CBS12) — An 18-year-old man accused of a brutal Port St. Lucie murder may have been on the verge of a second killing when he was caught outside another home.

The Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) charged Omarion Daytron Ivory with first-degree murder Wednesday and, in announcing his arrest, added that investigators fear his crimes could have been something more horrific.

“We may have had an undetected serial killer,” PSLPD Assistant Chief Leon Niemczyk said.

The PSLPD announced Ivory’s arrest Thursday for the Sept. 8 killing of 67-year-old Francis Devon Gennas.

The day after the slaying, police were called to a home on SE Albatross Avenue around 9:30 a.m. to conduct a welfare check on Gennas because he hadn’t shown up for work the past few days, PSLPD previously said. When they arrived, police said they found Gennas with 45 stab wounds and signs of blunt force trauma to the head.

“Typically, in a violent crime like this, the suspect is known to the victim,” Niemczyk said. “In this case, (evidence of this) simply did not happen. It wasn’t a click.”

Ivory’s arrest

On Sept. 20, nearly two weeks after Jenness’ murder, a 911 dispatcher was notified of a suspicious man in the area of SE Lavina Circle.

PLSPD released the doorbell camera footage of the incident. It showed Ivory walking up to the house and knocking on the door. Standing, Ivory began rummaging through the backpack he was carrying. Finally he reached into the bag and pulled out a hammer.

The woman was at home at that time, but did not answer.

Niemczyk said he believed Ivory was preparing for a second murder that day.

When police arrived, they arrested Ivory for vagrancy, theft and possession of burglary tools. Once in custody, investigators noticed that Ivory matched the description of a man captured on surveillance video outside Gennassi’s residence on the day of the murder.

After learning of the arrest, the detective brought him to the station, where they were able to match him to the footage outside Gennassi’s home.

The hammer found on Ivory when he was arrested contained another piece of evidence linking the teenager to the murder – Jenness’s blood.

Accusation

Authorities say this is a very unusual, isolated situation, and they don’t believe he has more victims connected to unsolved cases.

All Ivory are charged:

Robbery of an unoccupied dwelling
Grand theft
Loitering and rummaging
Storage of hacking tools
First degree premeditated murder
Armed robbery of a dwelling with beating

Ivory was a juvenile and his family cited mental health issues, according to PLSPD.

Find more ways to keep up with the latest local news. Subscribe to our newsletter to get the day’s hottest headlines straight to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the biggest stories and can’t miss videos.