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Lake Wales Burn Victims Knew Attacker, Police Say

Eric Hausmann/News Channel 8

Damon Lugo, 8 is the son of Yvonne Bustamante. Bustamante is one of the victims of the attack at The Nationwide Insurance office at 124 West Central Avenue.

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By Billy Townsend and Keith Morelli of The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 14, 2007

Updated: 12/14/2007 04:08 pm

LAKE WALES - Leon Davis Jr., the man police say set fire to two female employees of an insurance agency Thursday, one of whom was pregnant, was familiar to the business and the victims, according to police and the mother-in-law of one of the women.

The two women, Juanita "Jane" Luciano, 23, and Yvonne Bustamante, 26, were flown to Orlando hospitals and were in critical condition, police and family members said. A Lake Wales employee, Brandon Griessman, who tried to help the women was shot in the face by Davis, police said.

His wound was not considered life-threatening, and he was taken to Lake Wales Medical Center, police said.

Bustamante's mother-in-law, Eva Stines, visited the site of the attack with Bustamante's 8-year-old son on Friday morning. She is keeping the family's two children, ages 8 and 4, while her son, James Lugo, stays with his wife in Orlando.

Juanita Bustamante is about six months' pregnant. Her baby was delivered by Caesarean section Thursday and is being treated at Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital in Orlando, Stines said.

There was no word on the baby's prognosis.

Stines pleaded for help for the family, though no relief account has yet been set up. "Anything anybody can do would help," she said. Stines said Luciano and Bustamante are sisters-in-law. Luciano is married to Bustamante's brother. It wasn't immediately clear whether Luciano has children.

Leon Davis Jr. had been a customer at the agency, police said.

About 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Davis entered the Nationwide Insurance agency at 124 W. Central Ave. The business is in a small strip mall-type building in downtown Lake Wales and within sight of city hall. Police said Davis demanded money from the two female employees and then splashed gasoline on them when he was not satisfied with what he got. He then set them and the building on fire, police said.

Davis would not let the burning women leave the building, and he shot Griessman when he tried to help them, police said.

Davis then fled, police said.

About 7 p.m. Thursday, Davis turned himself in at a sheriff's substation, authorities reported.

Police said a witness at the insurance agency recognized Davis and identified him as a former customer. Davis, who turns 30 today, is five months into a three-year probation term.

Stines said her son knows Davis and has played basketball with him. She said he gave no indication of being violent.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement criminal records show that Davis, of 851 Summer Glen Drive, Winter Haven, was sentenced to probation in July in Polk County after pleading guilty to six counts of grand theft.

On Nov. 30, Polk County sheriff's deputies arrested Davis on a charge of grand theft. He was released three days later after posting $5,000 bail. There was no record on the jail's Web site of probation violations.

"Our hearts are saddened by the tragic incident Thursday afternoon at our local agent's office in Lake Wales," Nationwide spokesman Joe Case says in a written statement.

"Nationwide is reaching out to the victims and their families to assist in any way we can," he says. "Their well-being is first and foremost in our minds. We are also doing all we can to assist law enforcement in their investigation of the incident."

"I've worked in this business for thirteen years and not seen or heard of anything like this in my career here," Lake Wales Police Department Capt. Troy Schulze said. "I've never seen anything come close to this, violencewise. It was heartless, absolutely heartless, for someone to do something like this."

Scott Headley, the owner of the Nationwide office, was distraught.

"I can't imagine someone can do something so cruel," he said.

Griessman was expected to undergo surgery.

Davis was suspended from his job with Eagle Lake after the most recent theft charge, police said. It was not known what he did for the city.

Davis now faces a host of charges, police said, including three counts of attempted felony murder, two counts of arson with bodily injury, two counts of kidnapping, one count of arson and one count of robbery.

He was expected to appear in court this afternoon.

Reporter Billy Townsend can be reached at (863) 284-1409 or wtownsend@tampatrib.com. Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com. Information from the Associated Press was included in this report.

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