A brave final act by a double murder victim provided critical evidence leading to an arrest in the case. The Florida police apprehended Louis Charles Jules after Tampa Police Department officers responded to 911 calls reporting a shooting with two potential victims on Friday, October 3.
At the scene, officers discovered a gruesome situation: two individuals shot to death in a white Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck. One victim was found lying on the ground outside the vehicle, and a woman was partially hanging out of the passenger side.
During the investigation, Tampa Police Homicide detectives noticed that the woman was clutching her cellphone. To their surprise, she had started recording a video during her last moments, which was still running when they found it.
The footage revealed a man wearing sunglasses and dressed in a polo shirt, grey pants, and black shoes approaching the truck with the victims inside. He was holding a cup and car keys and opened the rear passenger door.
According to Fox 13 News, the victims confronted the suspect in Spanish, exclaiming: “Hey, you can’t go into my car!” The man then threw the liquid from the cup at the male victim and pulled out a concealed handgun, allegedly shooting him.
The video captured the woman’s scream, followed by the sound of multiple gunshots as the suspect exited the frame.
Thanks to this critical piece of evidence, police identified the suspect as Louis Jules, who lived directly across the street from the crime scene.
Jules was apprehended about eight hours after the shooting. Police found his handgun and sunglasses concealed in the back of another pickup truck parked at the same location.
Fox 13 reported that court documents revealed Jules identified himself in the video. He claimed the truck had been sold to the victims, who allegedly failed to pay him. He said he approached them to accompany them to an ATM to retrieve his money, which is when the conflict occurred.
Jules now faces two counts of first-degree murder and one of tampering with physical evidence related to a capital felony. He is currently detained in the Hillsborough County Jail without bond.