SEMINOLE COUNTY, FL – The Seminole County Sheriff’s Department received a call at 12:30 a.m. in the Pickett Downs neighborhood in Chuluota regarding a stabbing incident.
The man who contacted the authorities reported that someone had broken into the victim’s house while she was asleep beside him. He awoke to find the intruder on top of the woman (the victim), stabbing her. He stated that he tried to intervene by kicking the perpetrator but was stabbed in the upper leg during the struggle.
The intruder then fled the house. The witness managed to escape to a neighbor’s house and called the police.
Kristen Stevens, 40, was tragically stabbed an estimated 20-70 times by her estranged boyfriend, James Lindsey, aged 42.
When police arrived at the scene, they encountered Stevens’ 16-year-old son, who was unharmed.
Upon searching the house, officers found Kristen Stevens lying on the bedroom floor with approximately 20-70 stab wounds. A kitchen knife, believed to be the weapon, was discovered next to her body.
After fleeing the crime scene, Lindsey died in a car crash when his vehicle went off-road along Fort Christmas Road.
Looking into the couple’s history, it was revealed that Kristen Stevens and James Lindsey had a troubled 18-year relationship marred by domestic violence. A prior injunction was issued against Lindsey in 2014.
The most recent report of violence occurred on November 6, when Stevens reported a battery incident. She claimed her estranged boyfriend had climbed on top of her, leaving her with visible bruises.
This report led to Lindsey’s arrest for domestic violence, according to Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma.
A final injunction was issued on November 20, requiring Lindsey to surrender his 21 firearms and all ammunition, which he complied with. However, despite these measures, Judge Wayne Culver denied a request to hold Lindsey without bond. Instead, the judge set the bond at $1,000 and ordered Lindsey not to return to Stevens’ home or contact her.
The Florida Bar records indicate that Judge Culver had previously been suspended and publicly reprimanded for unprofessional conduct in court.
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