A Florida woman who claimed to be acting under divine instruction has been indicted for her role in a deadly ambush that resulted in the death of one sheriff’s deputy and the wounding of two others. The indictment was announced on Fox News, following the tragic events that unfolded earlier this month.
The incident began on the evening of August 2, 2024, when deputies from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to what appeared to be a routine disturbance call near the city of Eustis. The call involved reports of a woman attacking her neighbors and making bizarre religious statements. The woman, later identified as 48-year-old Julie Ann Sulpizio, was reportedly accusing her neighbors of being sinners and claimed she was acting under God’s will.
According to Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell, the residents who reported the disturbance were terrified by Sulpizio’s erratic behavior. “The complainant stated [Sulpizio] was acting religious, accusing them of being sinners, and she knows ‘what they did,’” Sheriff Grinnell said during a press conference.
When deputies arrived at Sulpizio’s home to conduct a welfare check, they encountered a disturbing scene. Outside the house, they found two dead dogs, an open window with the screen kicked out, and an eerie silence. Sensing danger, the deputies called for backup. Among those who responded were Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link, 28, and Master Deputy Sheriff Harold Howell, 41.
As Link and Howell cautiously entered the home, they were unaware of the deadly trap that awaited them. Sheriff Grinnell described how the deputies moved carefully through the house, only for Link to be ambushed by Sulpizio’s husband, Michael. Link was shot multiple times, ultimately succumbing to his injuries at the scene. Howell and Deputy First Class Stefano Gargano, 28, who was also injured in the attack, managed to return fire and escape.
The events leading up to the ambush were as chilling as the attack itself. Sulpizio deluded into believing she was carrying out a divine mission, had devised a plan to lure her neighbors to her home, where her husband would kill them. In her twisted state of mind, she insisted that she was not Julie but “Helen, under God’s will.”
After the attack, Sulpizio was arrested on August 5, 2024, while receiving treatment at a hospital in Tavares, Florida. On August 19, she was indicted on multiple charges, including three counts of attempted first-degree premeditated murder of a law enforcement officer, conspiracy to commit premeditated murder, battery on a law enforcement officer, and three counts of battery on others.
The case is being handled by State Attorney Bill Gladson’s office of the Fifth Judicial Circuit, which has indicated that the charges could potentially qualify for the death penalty. Gladson’s office has 45 days to review the evidence and determine whether to pursue the ultimate punishment.