After being freed from jail after serving more than 20 years for an attempted carjacking, a Florida man attacked a family in their house with branch cutters and will be imprisoned for the rest of his life.
According to a news statement from the prosecution, Lyndell Demps, 52, was found guilty on Monday of home invasion robbery, assault, and violence with a deadly weapon.
The crime occurred on June 15, 2023, according to an arrest affidavit. The document stated that Demps broke into an Orlando home’s rear patio covertly and attacked the homeowner multiple times with a long-handled branch cutter.
Holding the gardening tool over his head and swinging it downward, Demps then entered the house through a sliding glass door that he had broken during the attack and made demands for money from the victim, his wife, and his mother-in-law, according to court filings. The CCTV camera in the house recorded the attack.
When one of the victims attempted to dial 911 at one point, Demps grabbed the phone. The affidavit stated that he approached the victims, cornering them in the living room while holding the branch cutters above his head.
Demps struck the door with the branch cutters when one of the victims attempted to enter her bedroom and locked the door, stopping it from doing so. According to the paper, the attack came to an end when Demps entered a room and took out a container of coins, allowing the victims to flee the house and call for assistance.
According to the affidavit, Demps left the house through the patio while carrying the coin jar and the victims’ smartphones, which he had dumped close to them.
The homeowner needed surgery to address cuts on his left hand and fractures to his orbital socket and skull. He received treatment at a hospital. According to the affidavit, he also lost a tooth.
Prosecutors alleged that Demps broke into a creche and was taken into custody later that evening. Prosecutors stated in May when they announced his conviction that he informed law enforcement while he was in detention that he was high on drugs and needed money. According to the affidavit, Demps informed police he was homeless and needed money. According to the complaint, he also sent the victim a letter in which he expressed his regret for “any pain or stress that I may have caused to you and your family.”
According to the prosecution, Demps has a long criminal past. Seven months before the branch cutter attack, he had been let out of jail after serving almost 26 years for a 1996 carjacking attempt. According to the prosecution, he falls into three categories: habitual felonies, habitual violent felonies, and prison release re-offenders.
