A 14-year-old girl was the victim in a murder-suicide at a drug-fueled house party, and the suspect is a teen she met only a month ago, according to investigators in Florida.
The shootings happened around 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, at a home near St. Petersburg, where the suspect was dog sitting, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. St. Petersburg is about a 20-mile drive southwest from Tampa.
“Once deputies arrived on-scene, they located 14-year-old Sayuri Jade Ruiz deceased, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Deputies also located 17-year-old Hector Pfeiffer, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” officials said.
“Pfeiffer was transported to the hospital and pronounced deceased at 10:16 p.m.”
An investigation revealed the 26-year-old homeowner was out of town and had arranged for Pfeiffer to stay at the home as a dog sitter, officials said.
The party began around 4 a.m. on Saturday, when Pfeiffer invited Ruiz and another female over “to hang out,” officials said. Pfeiffer met the two “on a social media app approximately (one) month ago.”
The three were joined by an 18-year-old man from St. Pete Beach “and they consumed alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine throughout the day,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Pfeiffer began brandishing a firearm belonging to (the homeowner). Detectives learned they all began playing with the firearm and taking photos with it,” the sheriff’s office said.
“A verbal altercation ensued … and (Pfeiffer) became upset. Detectives say Ruiz was speaking to the other female regarding the argument when Pfeiffer approached Ruiz and pointed the gun at her head and shot her. Detectives say Pfeiffer then shot himself in the head.”
An autopsy was scheduled to determine “manner of death,” officials said.
Pfeiffer lived in Seminole, about a 7-mile drive from the crime scene, and Ruiz was from New Port Richey in Pasco County, about a 30-mile drive north, officials said.
Murder-suicide
Up to 600 murder-suicides happen each year, according to the FBI. They account for about 1,000 deaths a year.
“Although uncommon, such incidents vary widely in terms of the persons involved, how they are related, and where the crimes take place,” the FBI reported. “Usually, law enforcement personnel deal with murder-suicides involving two people in domestic settings or relationships.”
About 65% of murder-suicides involve intimate partners, officials said, and 81% happen in the home.
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