Venue, charges still being decided for Kalisz

As the suspect in Thursday's murder spree recovers from his multiple gunshot wounds and waits for more surgeries, prosecutors in two separate judicial circuits are deciding where he will be tried first.

"From a timing perspective, that decision has not yet been made," said Assistant State Attorney Pete Magrino.

John Kalisz, 55, of Spring Hill, is accused of fatally wounding his sister Kathryn Donovan, 61, and her employee Deborah Buckley Tillotson, 59, at the former's home off Wilhelm Road in Brooksville.

Kalisz also is accused of shooting and injuring his niece Manessa Donovan, 18, and Amy Wilson, 31. Both of them outside the house when the gunman attacked them, deputies said.

Two hours later, Kalisz was involved in a gunfight with Dixie County Sheriff's deputies, authorities said.

Capt. Chad Reed was shot and killed near a gas station in Cross City. Kalisz was shot six times and remains hospitalized, according to reports.

Deputies in Dixie County spotted Kalisz's van and followed it in an unmarked vehicle. They were hoping to stop him and apprehend him in a rural area after passing through town, authorities said.

Kalisz instead pulled into the gas station along U.S. 19 and opened fire, according to media reports.

Reed had just been appointed the department's public information officer.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Kalisz was taken to Shands Hospital in Gainesville, the same hospital where Reed was pronounced dead Thursday.

Capt. Evan Sullivan, a spokesman for the Levy County Sheriff's Office who is handling media calls about the case on behalf of Dixie County, said he could not disclose any information on Kalisz's condition, nor would he confirm whether he was still being treated at Shands.

"The suspect is at an undisclosed hospital and he is not listed under his actual name," Sullivan said.

Hernando County is in the fifth judicial circuit, which includes Hernando, Citrus, Lake, Marion and Sumter counties. Magrino handles most of the homicide cases in those five counties.

He said formal statements, sheriff's reports and additional materials on the case still need to be collected and reviewed.

"At a minimum, you're looking at a couple counts of murder one, probably armed burglary and additional counts of attempted murder," Magrino said of Kalisz's pending charges in Hernando County. "He was convicted of a felony, so he could conceivably be charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon."

Manessa Donovan was two months pregnant. She lost her unborn child as a result of her injuries, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

"In Florida, that is prosecutable," Magrino said about the possibility of a third murder count.

Donovan remained hospitalized Tuesday, said Sgt. Donna Black, a Hernando County Sheriff's spokeswoman.

Wilson was released from the hospital Saturday, she said.

State Attorney Skip Jarvis, who oversees prosecutions in Dixie County, was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

Hernando County Sheriff Richard Nugent said Kalisz was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Additional charges are pending.

"He's still at the hospital, so until he's discharged, he won't actually be arrested," said Chief Assistant State Attorney Ric Ridgway.

Prosecutors said Kalisz, who reportedly was shot in the face during his face-off with deputies, still has additional surgeries and is expected to survive.

More details of Kalisz's criminal past have since come to light.

Kalisz was arrested in December 2008 by police in Framington, Conn., after officers put out a warning that he was heavily armed and making threats against law enforcement, according to the New Britain Herald.

The newspaper reported Kalisz had told his relatives in Plainville, Conn., that he wanted to go "on a shooting rampage." Kalisz also claimed he had access to weapons at Kathryn Donovan's home in Brooksville, including an AK-47 assault rifle and the two were storing supplies in Tennessee, authorities said.

He also believed there was a conspiracy behind the election of President Obama and he feared the federal government was making preparations to put U.S. citizens in concentration camps, according to the article.

The U.S. Secret Service investigated the threats, but did not find enough evidence to hold Kalisz.

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan, not related to the victims, confirmed agents spoke to him after learning of the alleged threats from authorities in Connecticut. The investigation took place about a year ago, Donovan said.

Kalisz was arrested in Connecticut in late December 2008 for having an illegal knife and fireworks in his van.

While in jail, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office obtained a warrant for his arrest on charges he masturbated in front of Manessa Donovan, who was then 17, and pulling a knife on her boyfriend.

He also was accused of downloading nude photos of himself onto a CD and sticking it under Donovan's mattress, according to arrest reports.

Kalisz was extradited to Florida in October 2008 and received probation. He was ordered to undergo sexual offender counseling and was not permitted to contact Kathryn and Manessa Donovan.

Arrest reports also revealed Kalisz had bragged to his sister about raping two women and never being charged for the crimes.

On Jan. 12, two days before the shootings, Kalisz's RV exploded while he was trying to switch out propane tanks, deputies said.

Friends said most of his possessions were destroyed in the fire.