A woman visiting Florida leapt into the ocean to save a struggling swimmer — only to later learn he was wanted for allegedly killing his wife and her suspected lover in a crime of passion, according to a report.
The woman, identified only as Belinda, noticed a man screaming for help while walking near Riomar Beach on the morning of March 24 and ran into the ocean, she recalled to WPBF.
Belinda then instructed the man to get on his back and let the waves carry him back to shore.
“So, he got on his back, and he said, ‘I’m exhausted, I’m tired,’ and I said, ‘Do it! Get on your back and let the waves carry you, you can do it, come on,” Belinda told the outlet.
Instead, the man chillingly told her he was “going to take a long vacation.”
Video released by police captured Belinda bending down beside the man — later identified as double-homicide suspect Jesse Scott Ellis — as he made it out of the water.
Ellis, 64, allegedly gunned down his wife of 13 years, Stacie Ellis Mason, and her married colleague, Danny Ooley, in the parking lot of the Indian River County Main Library in Vero Beach around 7 a.m. on March 24.
Mason and Ooley, 56, are believed to have been having an affair, officials with the Vero Beach Police Department said during a press conference.
Security footage showed the pair, who were both employed by the Indian River County government, arriving at their local library in separate vehicles. Mason exited her car and climbed into Ooley’s.
Ellis pulled into the parking lot moments later, armed with an AR-15-style rifle, and fired multiple shots at Ooley’s vehicle, Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey told reporters. He then fled the scene.
Some time after, at a nearby beach, a man was reported to be spotted walking into the water fully clothed, but when rescuers arrived, they determined that he did not need their assistance and left after he offered what they later learned was a fake name, Currey said.
In a later press conference, police said they executed a search warrant on Ellis’s truck, which was discovered at South Beach Park, and found wet clothing, an empty holster, and a 380 caliber magazine.
Several documents were also found that showed he intended to end his life and harm himself, police said.
Some of the documents were “pages long, dating back to early March,” that described “his pain, wanting to crawl in a hole, can’t eat, can’t drink, can’t sleep, that kind of thing,” Currey said.
The accused killer has still not been caught as of Monday evening, and residents should be aware of an increased law enforcement presence in the area as search efforts continue.
It’s unclear if he ultimately killed himself in the depths of the ocean.
Even after learning the man was accused of horrific crimes, Belinda said she still would have helped rescue him, but would have called 911 right away if she’d known.
“I could not leave him in the water no matter what,” Belinda said. “Everybody is going through something.”
Ellis is wanted on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder — a capital felony that could land him on death row if he’s found alive.
