George Beemer, 23, was arrested on July 25, and charged with second-degree murder, first-degree arson, and abuse of a dead human body after allegedly shooting his mother and setting their Fort Myers home on fire because she “wanted to be cremated.”
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office had responded to 11417 Ranchette Road on Saturday morning after Beemer reported experiencing chest pain.
He was transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation, and shortly after EMS departed, a second 911 call reported a fire at the same residence, where South Trail Fire discovered the body of a severely burned, deceased female inside.
The victim’s identity has not been officially released.
Beemer’s friend, who called 911, told deputies the defendant admitted to killing his mother, per the affidavit.
Beemer allegedly brought his pal inside the home and showed him the body, and they left the home and “smoked some weed” before Beemer called 911 to complain of chest pains.
Once the ambulance took Beemer away, the friend called to report the fire, saying he was scared to call cops in front of Beemer because he had several guns.
Deputies took Beemer to the police station for an interview after he was given his Miranda rights and left the hospital.
Beemer allegedly admitted to shooting his mom and pouring gasoline around her body and setting it on fire because “she wanted to be cremated.”
“George stated his mother has constantly put him down, and has molested him, and today was the day he had enough,” deputies wrote, adding that “George stood in front of his mother, they looked each other in the eyes and she screamed prior to him shooting her, and then setting her on fire.”
George Beemer told detectives he killed his mother after years of built-up anger, then set the home on fire because, in his words, “she wanted to be cremated.”
The friend told police that Beemer did not have many friends, owned many guns, and constantly had issues with his parents, and that Beemer reportedly said on multiple occasions that he wanted to kill his mother, but the friend said he did not think Beemer was serious.
A friend of the victim said she was devastated by the news, stating “I was devastated, absolutely devastated, and I can’t even stop thinking about it.”
“My oldest put me through hell and back, and I can remember sitting and talking with her. No mother deserves that.”
Additionally,
Madison Edwards, Beemer’s former classmate, told WINK News she was disturbed when she heard the news, saying “We were just completely shocked” and “I wasn’t surprised that he ended up in jail. I was just very surprised as to the reason why.”
The victim’s friend said there’s no truth to the allegations of abuse, stating “There’s absolutely no way. No, no, absolutely never, never, no. I can’t buy it. I will never buy it.”
In the Saturday morning incident,
what first came in as a medical call quickly turned into a homicide investigation.
The Major Crimes Unit responded to the scene and took over the investigation, while the Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives Investigations also initiated a parallel investigation to determine the cause and origin of the fire.
“Major crimes detectives, crime scene investigators, and our partners with the fire service immediately recognized that something wasn’t right,” Sheriff Carmine Marceno said, adding “This is one of the most horrific acts of violence imaginable.”
Beemer remains in custody at the Lee County Jail, charged with second-degree murder, first-degree arson, and abuse of a dead human body.