Palm Beach County homicides down 15% in 2022; most victims go unnamed (2024)

Palm Beach County recorded 96 homicides during 2022, down 17 from the year before, law enforcement and medical examiner records show.

The 15% decrease occurred one year after the county recorded 113 homicides, its highest homicide total in the past decade. It returned the county to a number close to its historic yearly average. Over the past 10 years, the county has averaged 99 homicides per year, even though it grew by about 185,000 people to a population of 1.5 million.

Since 2009, The Palm Beach Post has tracked homicides in the county through an online database, using records from law enforcement agencies and the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office.

Drawing conclusions from the county's annual homicide count has grown complicated because of changes in state law and the number of homicides confirmed by the medical examiner for which key details have not been made available. Those details include the place of death and the law enforcement agency investigating the case.

The medical examiner and several law enforcement agencies also have changed the way they report cases since Florida voters in 2018 approved an amendment to the state constitution modeled after California's Marsy's Law. It allows either victims of crime or their families to request that their names be withheld from public reports.

As a result, the community rarely learns the identity of the victim, beyond whether they are an adult or a juvenile. In 2022, law enforcement agencies named of just 21 of the 96 homicide victims, frequently citing the 2018 amendment.

The Post's database indicates the following:

  • Most homicide victims in 2022 died by gunfire, in line with past years. The limited data available says it happened in 61 of the 96 cases.
  • In many instances,the victims and their accused attackers knew each other, with at least a dozen cases being classified as either domestic or murder-suicides, records show.
  • There were six cases in 2022 that involved two victims in the same incident, but no cases involving three or more victims.
  • Nine homicide deaths involved juveniles, including three children under the age of 2.
  • The county’s 2022 homicide total includes three officer-involved shooting deaths.

Juvenile victims ranged from 17 years to 1 month

One of the earliest juvenile deaths in The Post's database is the February 2022 shooting of an 8-year-old girl in Belle Glade.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office investigators said Ronziyah Atkins was killed by gunfire intended for someone else as she stood on the front porch of a home on Southeast First Street.

Palm Beach County homicides down 15% in 2022; most victims go unnamed (1)

Days after the shooting, sheriff's investigators arrested Andrew James of Royal Palm Beach on charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder. James, now 21, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is awaiting trial.

In April, a 16-month boy identified by West Palm Beach police as "Baby Kaleb" was killed when an unknown gunman targeted a vehicle occupied by the child and his parents in an alleyway south of Fourth Street and Douglass Avenue. City police announced a $40,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.

'We can bring justice to this family':West Palm police offer $40K reward in child's fatal shooting

“This is a terrible incident,” West Palm Beach Police Chief Frank Adderley said in an April news conference announcing the reward. “We have and infant kid, 16 months old, that was murdered. We know that there are some people in this neighborhood who know who these shooters are. And we know that, with their help, we can bring justice to this family.”

City police had not announced an arrest in the "Baby Kaleb" homicide as of Jan. 11.

Another case was the March death of an 1-month-old child listed in the medical examiner's records. No other details have been made available, and the Florida Department of Children and Families did not respond to The Post's request for information last week.

Many victims knew attackers

In many instances,the victims and their accused attackers were known to each other, with at least a dozen cases being classified as either domestic or murder-suicides, records show.

In one such case in February, Palm Springs policealleged that Joan Burke fatally stabbed her disabled 62-year-old husband, Melvin Weller, 140 times and attacked him with a meat cleaver during a fit of rage in the couple’s home. Burke, 61, pleaded guilty in June to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

More:Palm Springs woman who stabbed husband more than 140 times sentenced to 35 years for his death

In Boca Raton, a man and woman were found dead July 10 in a residence on the 5000 block of Northwest Third Terrace. Investigators said the man gained access to a family vacationhome without permission from other family members, and a female relative asked him to leave. The man shot the relative, then turned the gun and killed himself, police said.

Police did not the disclose the relationship between the man and woman or their identities, citing the 2018 amendment.

There were six cases in 2022 that involved two victims in the same incident.

In April, Palm Beach Gardens police arrested 27-year-old Alexandra Cupolo in April, alleging that she shot and killed her fiancé, Dr. Andrew Sturm, and her mother, Jacqueline Cupolo, in an attack at a home in the Bayhill Estates community. The younger Cupolo provided varying explanations from saying she acted in self-defense to explaining that she was under the influence of the occult, police said at the time of her arrest.

Palm Beach Gardens:Woman charged with double homicide; mother, fiancé found dead at home

She faces two counts of first-degree murder and is scheduled to have her next court hearing in February before Circuit Court Judge Sarah Willis.

Delray Beach police said that two men, Gerhode Ocean and Joney Dolcine, were killed when someone fired shots into a crowd during a Fourth of July block party on Southwest Third Street. As of Jan. 11, city police had not announced arrests in Ocean and Dolcine's homicides.

Law-enforcement agencies did not name the victims in the four other homicide cases involving two victims.

County saw 3 officer-involved shootings

The county’s 2022 homicide total includes three officer-involved shooting deaths, two involving the West Palm Beach Police Department and one the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. In each case, the agency withheld the officer's name, citing the same protections given to crime victims under the 2018 constitutional amendment. A Tallahassee court is considering a challenge to giving law enforcement officers those protections.

An off-duty West Palm Beach police shot and killed 33-year-old Romen Phelps during an encounter on the campus of the Dreyfoos School of the Arts. Police investigators said Phelps drove his white cargo van through a locked gate, narrowly missing a golf cart driver, before crashing the van into a palm tree.

More:Dozens gather for Romen Phelps memorial near Dreyfoos campus

Palm Beach County homicides down 15% in 2022; most victims go unnamed (2)

A city police spokesman said Phelps was erratic and violent in the moments before the shooting. Three students who said they encountered Phelps told The Post he was neither armed nor threatening.

In September, a sheriff's deputy shot and killed 21-year-old Jose Villanueva in a supermarket parking lot in Greenacres. Investigators alleged that Villanueva was pointing a gun in a threatening manner when the deputy shot him.

More:Lake Worth-area man, 21, dies after deputy-involved shooting in Publix parking lot

In November, a 22-year-old man was killed in what a police spokesman described as a “violent encounter” with West Palm Beach police officers at 15th Street and Windsor Avenue. Spokesman Mike Jachles said he could not disclose the name of the man who died because the man's family invoked its right to privacy.

The shooting remains under investigation.

The medical examiner’s office includes officer-involved and other acts that may be considered self-defense in its count because they meet the clinical definition of a homicide. The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, will determine whether the actions of the officers involved in the fatal encounters were legally justified.

A State Attorney's Office spokesperson said the cases are still under review.

Help is availablefor people experiencing domestic violence or suicidal thoughts. Call thePalm Beach County Victim Services24-hour helpline at 561-833-7273, or the 24-hour Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him atjwhigham@pbpost.comand follow him on Twitter at@JuliusWhigham. Help support our work:Subscribe today.

Palm Beach County homicides down 15% in 2022; most victims go unnamed (2024)

FAQs

Palm Beach County homicides down 15% in 2022; most victims go unnamed? ›

Palm Beach County recorded 96 homicides during 2022, down 17 from the year before, law enforcement and medical examiner records show. The 15% decrease occurred one year after the county recorded 113 homicides, its highest homicide total in the past decade.

What is the crime rate in Palm Beach County Florida? ›

According to our analysis of FBI crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of crime in Palm Beach is 1 in 81. How does Palm Beach fare compared to other communities in Florida of all population sizes? Palm Beach's crime rate is lower than approximately 48% of Florida communities.

Where has the most homicides? ›

Top 10 Countries With the Highest Homicide Rates
RankCountryHomicide Rate per 100,000 People
1🇯🇲 Jamaica53.3
2🇻🇨 St. Vincent and the Grenadines40.4
3🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago39.5
4🇱🇨 Saint Lucia36.7
7 more rows
Mar 29, 2024

Why has the homicide rate gone up? ›

Members also hypothesized that a large increase in gun sales in 2020 may have led to additional murders. During this period, so-called “time to crime” periods decreased, with police recovering 38,777 guns within three months of their purchase in 2020 nationwide, nearly twice the number as the year before.

What county has the highest crime rate in FL? ›

Bay County, FL – 8,024 arrests per 100,000 residents – Bay County and the Panama City area have the dubious distinction of topping both our lists today, thanks to a population of nearly 175,000 people and a 2020 arrest rate that easily doubles or triples that of most neighboring municipalities.

What is the #1 crime state in America? ›

While murders surged during COVID-19, there was a 6.1% year-over-year decline in murders and non-negligent manslaughter in 2022. New Mexico, the most dangerous state, has more than six times the rate of violent crime per 1,000 people than New Hampshire, the least dangerous state.

What city has the highest gun violence? ›

St. Louis, Mo. leads at 76.4 gun-related homicides per 100k residents, followed by Birmingham, Ala.

What state is number one for homicides? ›

Murder rates in red states were 33% higher than in blue states in both 2021 and 2022. As in 2019 and 2020, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama hold the first, second, and third highest murder rates in the country, respectively.

What is the safest state to live in? ›

Safest States in the US
  • Vermont. Vermont was the safest state in the US in 2022, with a total score of 69.49. ...
  • Maine. With a score of 66.24, Maine was 2022's second-safest U.S. state. ...
  • Minnesota. ...
  • Utah. ...
  • Connecticut. ...
  • Massachusetts. ...
  • Rhode Island. ...
  • Washington.

What is the number one cause of homicide? ›

In terms of the tools with which homicides are committed, firearms are, by far, the most frequently used. From 1999 to 2017, guns accounted for over two-thirds of all homicides and 228,230 victims.

Who has the most felonies in the US? ›

At the macro level, Black men, in particular, have higher rates of felony conviction than other subgroups (Shannon et al., 2017). As of 2010, an estimated one-third of adult Black men (and nearly one-quarter of all Black adults) had a felony conviction, as compared to eight percent of the U.S. population as a whole.

Is Palm Beach County Florida a good place to live? ›

West Palm Beach is considered one of the nicest places to live in South Florida, and while you'll find large, expensive mansions, there are also lots of affordable places to live. There are retirement communities that cater to those 65 and older, as well as great schools for those folks with kids.

What is the safest place to live in Palm Beach County? ›

Palm Beach Gardens

Suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL, 118 Niche users give it an average review of 3.9 stars. Featured Review: Current Resident says Palm Beach Gardens area is overall peaceful when it comes to communities and public areas. Other than the occasional safety issue in some public plazas and open communities.

What beach in Florida has the lowest crime rate? ›

Satellite Beach

The safest place to live in Florida is Satellite Beach. You'll feel safe living in this quaint city on Florida's space coast, which is home to just over 11,000 people. In 2022, there were only five violent crimes in Satellite Beach, making it the Florida city with the lowest crime rate.

Is Palm Beach County a wealthy county? ›

Of the more than 3,000 counties in the U.S., Palm Beach County is ranked first in the amount of wealth ending up here. From office buildings, to rising home sales, greater restaurants and increased giving to cultural organizations, our area is seeing a major wealth boom. But great change brings big challenges.

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