Deadly ambush of Lake County deputies: What Julie Ann Sulpizio said to investigators
ORLANDO, Fla. - New documents detail the arrest of a Florida woman accused of orchestrating an attack on Lake County Sheriff’s deputies that resulted in the death of one of those deputies and the injuries of two others.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has stated that Julie Ann Sulpizio, her husband, and her two daughters believed God directed them to stage an attack on her neighbors and on the responding deputies.
Sulpizio, 48, remains in protective custody without bond. Her daughters, Savannah, 23, and Cheyenne, 22, who were involved in the shooting of the three deputies, were adopted by her husband, Michael, 49. They were located dead inside the home with self-inflicted gunshot wounds, the sheriff's office said.
Lake County ambush suspect accused of bending deputy's pinky during apparent hospital episode
An affidavit of probable cause released on Wednesday details the events leading to Sulpizio's arrest, many of which were read aloud by Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell during a news conference on Monday.
Below is a narrative of what law enforcement allegedly encountered and what Sulpizio is said to have spoken prior to and during her arrest:
At 7:45 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, Michael Dietiker called 911 to report that his neighbor, Julie Ann Sulpizio, was trespassing and assaulting people at his home, including his wife, his father, and others.
When a deputy responds approximately 13 minutes later, he finds Sulpizio with her hands behind her back. He commands her not to approach and to "back up."
Lake County deputy shot during deadly ambush has been released from hospital
Though the victims knew the suspect as their neighbor, she said she was "Helen, under God's will."
The deputy pulled out his Taser, briefly pointing it at Sulpizio until she took a few steps back, but he kept it in his right hand.
During a calm verbal exchange, Sulpizio stated that the group of people present were involved in pedophilia. She then asked one of the victims, "Who is your God?" Sulpizio continued to explain that "Julie is in heaven."
She stated, "We needed to trick ‘Lucy,’" pointed to the deputy, and said, "You are one of them." Investigators later learned that "Lucy" refers to "Lucifer." She continued, "See, we needed to trick the evil to come out."
According to detectives, Sulpizio then attempted to direct her neighbors and the deputy to her residence. "You walk in front of me. I was headed that way," she told them.
Will woman arrested in deadly 'ambush' of Florida deputies be fit to stand trial?
One of the victims asked Sulpizio if her husband, Michael, was OK, to which she replied, "Oh, see, he sent me down here."
The victim responded, "Oh, did he?" to which Sulpizio said, "Yes, my husband, God." She again attempted to convince them to go to the house to see. "Yes, Michael, I am coming," she said and began to walk toward the deputy, who tried to block her, but she pushed his hand away.
The deputy raised his Taser and activated a warning alert, which emitted a piercing tone and strobe light as he pointed it at Sulpizio. Sulpizio stated, "That's God's light," and approached the deputy with her arms crossed on her chest and smiling.
The deputy used his left hand, redirecting Sulpizio rearward, causing her to fall to the ground on her back. The deputy told her to stay on the ground, but she resisted, he said. The deputy holstered his Taser and grabbed his handcuffs while applying control to Sulpizio's right wrist.
"You wanna play? You are just making me madder," Sulpizio told the deputy while on her back. She yelled, "Let's do this, now!" followed by, "I can feel him!" and shouted, "Michael, Gabriel, Timothy. It's time now to protect my children!"
At this point, another deputy arrived, and Sulpizio was restrained with handcuffs. EMS was notified of a patient in reference to an altered mental state.
It was then learned that Sulipizio allegedly struck three of the four members at the residence on Brookside Drive, one of whom had been choked, restricting his airway, he told the deputies.
It is also learned that she referred to her neighbors as "blacks," which investigators later understood to be a reference to those living in sin, as opposed to "whites," or those living without sin.
Sulpizio was taken to AdventHealth Waterman Hospital in Tavares for a mental and physical evaluation.
Biological father of young women involved in fatal ambush of Lake County deputies speaks out
According to the affidavit, during an interview conducted by detectives at AdventHealth Waterman, Sulpizio said there was a "human body" under the family home, possibly a Nolan Rivers, who was trapped by Michael a week earlier. Sulpizio also stated that she shot her two small dogs because she believed them to be vessels for "Lucy." Authorities searched under the home, and no such body was located.
Sulpizio faces several charges, including seven counts of attempted murder, four counts of battery, and one count of first-degree premeditated murder in the killing of Lake County Sheriff's Office Master Deputy Bradley Link and injuries to Deputy Stefano Gargano and Deputy Harold Howell.
Florida woman arrested in deadly ambush shooting of Lake County deputy; claimed to work for 'God'
She also faces an additional charge of battery on a law enforcement officer after she allegedly bent a deputy's finger while suffering an apparent medical episode in the hospital. You can read the details of the hospital visit here.
According to online court records, she is scheduled to appear in court in early September for an arraignment.