Florida Man Out On Bail For Beating Father Arrested After He Murdered His Mother, Authorities Say

A Florida man with a history of violence out on bail for beating his father is accused of murdering his mother at the home they shared, authorities said.

Around 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 6, police performing a wellbeing check at the St. Petersburg residence of 60-year-old Harriet Owens found her dead from multiple injuries, the Tampa Bay Times reported, citing an arrest affidavit.

Police ordered Owens’ son, Jontrell Willie Collins, 29, out of the home and later charged him with second-degree murder.

According to the arrest affidavit, Collins was arrested for felony battery on his mother last May after he allegedly punched her multiple times and hit her with an unknown weapon, including in the mouth, abdomen and head.

On June 24, court documents show, prosecutors believed “the facts and circumstances revealed do not warrant prosecution at this time” and the charges were dropped.

Days later, on June 27, Collins was arrested again for allegedly punching the face of his father, who lived at a different address than the suspect’s mother, according to IONTB.

Collins was charged with felony domestic battery and ordered to have no contact with his father. He was out on $3,500 bail and monitored by GPS at the time of his mother’s murder.

According to IONTB, Colins previously spent 111 days in the Pinellas County jail after he pleaded guilty to felony battery in connection with a November 2019 incident involving his mother.