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Seminole Slaying, Home Invasion Unrelated, Deputies Say

News Channel 8 photo by ANTHONY ALLRED

Pinellas County Sheriff's Office investigators say they found a man slain inside this home at 13937 85th Terrace North.

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By CHIP OSOWSKI | News Channel 8

Published: June 11, 2008

Updated: 06/11/2008 02:07 pm

SEMINOLE – Pinellas County Sheriff's Office detectives today said the death of a man inside a Seminole home is unrelated to a home invasion that occurred relatively nearby.

Meanwhile, verifying the identity of the man who was found slain at 13937 85th Terrace N. on Tuesday may take some time because he was in the country illegally, Sgt. Jim Bordner said.

He was among roughly 30 undocumented immigrants staying at the house who also worked at Super Buffet at Seminole Mall, Bordner said. As he and the others were in this country without permission, the sheriff's office has contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Bordner said.

The occupants of the home speak Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese or Spanish, Bordner said.

The neighborhood, meanwhile, remained on edge.

"We really don't know the facts," said Laurie St. Martin, a neighbor. "And somebody might be loose out there, and we've got children and family, and we're worried. This is the first time we've seen something like this happen in our neighborhood, and I've lived here for 12 years, so it's scary."

Someone called about noon Tuesday to say a man was injured at the home in unincorporated Seminole. Pinellas Sheriff's deputies found the man dead inside.

About the same time they were called to the address, they received a report of a home invasion some distance away, at 10881 61st Ave. N., and they worked to see whether the two crimes were related.

Today sheriff's officials said they were not. At the home on 61st Avenue North, two men wearing masks and dark clothing entered through a garage door. One of them had a handgun.

The two men demanded cash from a 50-year-old woman who was babysitting her 2-year-old grandson, sheriff's officials said. The woman, who was not identified, gave the men an undisclosed amount of cash and they left.

Reporter Chip Osowski of News Channel Eight contributed to this report. Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com.

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