Port St. Lucie Police Announce Arrest in Murder; possible “undiscovered serial killer”

This story has been updated to add new information.

PORT ST. LUCIE — Video surveillance and blood on a hammer helped investigators link an 18-year-old man to a September slaying in a case that may have involved an “undiscovered serial killer,” police said Thursday.

Port St. Lucie police announced the arrest Wednesday of Omarion Daytron Ivory, of the 700 block of Southeast Lansdowne Avenue in Port St. Lucie, in connection with the Sept. 8 slaying of 67-year-old Francis Devon Gennas.

Ivory was charged with one count each of first-degree murder with a weapon and armed robbery of a residence committed after Gennassi’s death. was found on September 12 in his house in the 1000 block of Southeast Albatross Avenue.

According to Assistant Chief Leo Niemczyk, Jenness suffered blunt force trauma to the head and about 45 stab wounds.

Gennas did not show up for work, having last seen on September 6 This was announced by Acting Chief of Police Richard Del Toro. Employees contacted the police, who came to his home to check his financial support. Gennas reportedly worked at a local auto body business.

Gennas’ wife, Joan, told investigators at the time that she was in New York visiting family and had been there for about a month. She said she and her husband live at home and that she last spoke to him on September 7.

“In the conversation with the victim’s family members, work colleagues, people involved in his life, there were no obvious worries,” Niemczyk said. “No obvious suspicions were found. Usually a violent crime like this… the suspect is known to the victim. And in this case, it simply did not happen.”

Nemczyk called it an “evidential case.”

A folding knife with a roughly 4-inch blade was found near the body of Jenness, who was not identified by family members, records show.

Police observed a second knife placed on a pillow in the master bedroom and traces of Gennassi’s blood not far from the body. The footprints did not match the sandals Jenness was wearing.

Police recovered about 600 hours of video from homes in the area and eventually found the man pictured on surveillance video around 9:18 a.m. on Sept. 8 walking in the 1000 block of Southeast Albatross Avenue.

He was walking to Gennassi’s home and was not seen for about 30 minutes before he was seen in other footage riding his bike. At that time, the police did not know the identity of the person on the surveillance footage.

Investigators found that Gennas started missing phone calls from relatives around 10:45 a.m. on September 8.

“A completely random act”

The detective, who was watching the video on his desk, noticed a call on the computer dispatch system on Sept. 20 about a man who “matched the description of the person he saw on the video and he was trying to break into another house,” Niemczyk said. said

That home was in the 1900 block of Southeast Lavina Circle, records show. The woman told investigators that a “suspicious male” knocked on her door, looking out the window and holding a hammer.

“When Detective (Andrew) Zamfino identified that suspect, heard another call, he knew it was a potential suspect because at that point we had no idea,” Niemczyk said. “So if it wasn’t for that, I’m not sure where we’d be right now.”

Ivory was found in the area on a bicycle and confirmed that he had a hammer in his backpack. Police determined the bike was stolen from a home in the 900 block of Southeast Albatross Avenue – not far from Gennassi’s home.

“In most murders, the suspect and the victim know each other. So, there is a motive, a reason for the murder,” Niemczyk said. “In this case, there is none. The suspect did not know the victim of the murder, nor did he know the people whose house he was trying to break into. So it’s a completely random act.”

Police said Ivory said he was visiting a friend, but could not provide the friend’s name. When asked why he was knocking on the door with a hammer in hand, Ivory said he wanted to show the homeowner that he was working on his bike, records show.

Ivory was arrested on charges including loitering and vagrancy.

Possible “Undiscovered Serial Killer”

Officials said patterns on Ivory’s shoes were “very similar” to shoe prints at the scene of the murder.

On October 18, a crime scene officer reported that a partial fingerprint on a knife placed on a pillow in the master bedroom at the scene of the murder came from Ivory.

On Tuesday, investigators learned that Gennassi’s DNA was found on the head and handle of a hammer that investigators recovered from Ivory. The pen had Ivory’s DNA on it.

“All the evidence leads us to believe that Mr. Ivory was probably preparing to commit a second murder that day,” Niemczyk said. “Maybe we had an undetected serial killer.”

Ivory, who showed security camera photos on Sept. 8, said he was riding his bike in the area.

“He said he wants to wait and see how it plays out before making any statements,” Niemczyk said.

Fingerprint, shoe print, DNA

Niemczyk said Ivor has a juvenile arrest history and a history of mental health. He said Ivory’s family indicated he was a paranoid schizophrenic.

“We don’t have that confirmed diagnosis, and he also has a history of Baker Acts,” Niemczyk said.

Florida’s Mental Health Act, better known as the Baker Act, allows people with mental illness to be voluntarily or involuntarily committed to a mental health facility for up to 72 hours if the person is believed to be a danger to themselves or others.

According to Google.com, Ivory’s home address is about 1.2 miles from the scene of the killing in Gennas and about 6.3 miles from the scene in Southeast Avalanche Circle.

Niemczyk said that during previous Baker Act cases, Ivory “made statements that he was going to kill people.”

“What he left at the victim’s house was his fingerprint, his shoe print and some DNA,” Niemczyk said.

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Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or call him at 772-267-7926. Email him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Possible ‘undiscovered serial killer’ arrested in PSL murder case