Cameras and texts captured moments before Broward man stabbed his wife and toddler, cops say
.jpg "Jean Carlos Aponte, 40, stabbed his wife and toddler son to death before trying to kill himself in Broward, police say.")
The moments leading up to a grisly double murder in a placid Broward suburb were detailed in a lengthy arrest warrant released to the public Thursday, more than a week after the killings.
A marital dispute — and mental health concerns — may have been at the center of the violent attack that ended with a mother and her 3-year-old son slain. The warrant, built from text messages, conversations and police interviews, reconstructed the events of the attempted murder-suicide.
It also resulted in police charging Jean Carlos Aponte, 40, in connection to the killing of his wife Sara Ashley Gama, 38, and son Ethan Aponte, 3, at their home at 1083 NW 97th Ave. in Plantation. Aponte is being held at the Broward Main Jail without bond on two first-degree murder charges.
An autopsy found that Aponte stabbed his wife 28 times and his toddler son four times. Aponte was found unconscious — but alive — after overdosing on a cocktail of prescribed medications, including antidepressants, pain killers and allergy pills.
Police responded to the home on March 26 around noon after receiving a 911 call from Gama’s father, according to an arrest warrant. Aponte was supposed to drop his children off at the Gamas’ Pembroke Pines home, like he did every Tuesday and Thursday at around 11 a.m.
But when Aponte didn’t show up, Gama’s parents sent their daughter a message on Whatsapp, the warrant states. She didn’t respond.
They tried to call her, but her phone went straight to voicemail. They then called Aponte, but he also didn’t answer.
So they decided to head to their daughter’s house. When they arrived, they noticed the family car — a white Audi SUV — parked in the driveway, according to the warrant.
They rang the doorbell, but no one answered. The family dog barked incessantly, and they could hear their 4-month-old grandchild crying uncontrollably.
“They could tell by the baby’s cry that something was wrong, and [Gama’s father] entered the code onto the digital lock to enter the residence,” the warrant said.
When they walked inside, they found the baby sitting in an infant swing in the living room, near a children’s play area. They called out for Aponte and Gama, but neither responded.
Gama’s father grabbed the infant and then headed to the kitchen to prepare a bottle to feed the baby, according to the warrant. That’s when he found his daughter lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood.
He tried to wake her, though he quickly noticed that she wasn’t breathing. Shortly after, he saw Aponte in the bedroom unresponsive — and realized that Ethan was missing.
The Gamas then frantically searched for the toddler as police rushed to the scene, according to the warrant. When investigators arrived, they discovered Aponte still had a faint pulse and administered Narcan, a nasal spray that can treat opioid overdoses.
The clothing Aponte had on was smeared with blood and was “soaking wet,” according to police. He was transported to HCA Florida Westside Regional Hospital.
There was blood everywhere: footprints in the hallway, splattered on every corner of the bathroom and puddled on a rug near a door that led to the pool, where police found Ethan, according to the warrant. The toddler had been stabbed.
In the kitchen, there were two knives covered in blood on a cutting board. One was slightly bent at the middle of the blade, the warrant said.
On the counter, there was also a half-eaten bagel and a plate with cut-up food for a child, according to police. A baby bottle was found in between Gama’s legs.
A bloody trail in the back patio led police to a lake. An iPhone, still powered on and displaying a photo of the children, was in a shallow part of the water. Police found a black Samsung Galaxy — holding Aponte’s ID cards — at the bottom of the lake.
While assessing the home, police determined that there were no signs of forced entry. A print recovered from the toilet seat was matched to Aponte.
A history of mental health issues?
Everything seemed ordinary, Gama’s parents told police, and everyone seemed to be in good spirits when they last saw the family. Gama’s parents also said they believed the couple to be happily married.
They said they last saw their daughter at around 3 p.m. the day before the killings. They had come over to watch the children as Gama worked from home. Gama’s mother said she and her daughter had last texted about an upcoming birthday at around 7:30 p.m. the day before.
While they described Aponte as a “loving father and husband” who they never saw to be “aggressive or violent, ” they noted that Aponte suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from his time deployed with the Marines in Iraq. He had also recently complained about having trouble sleeping.
“[Gama’s father] stated that he believed that [Aponte] managed his “issues” well most of the time, but knew him to have a few anger outbursts; although, they were never violent in nature,” the warrant stated.
Aponte’s mother and sister told detectives that Aponte had been diagnosed with PTSD and a traumatic brain injury after a fight in 2007, according to the warrant. He suffered from depression and recently told them that he was in constant pain.
“They continued that [Aponte] did have some aggressive behavior in the past and was trying new medications to help regulate his emotions,” the warrant stated.
A strained marriage?
But surveillance cameras — and social media messages — offered a glimpse into the reality of the couple’s marriage.
The home was equipped with cameras outside and inside, according to police. There were baby monitors in the children’s room, as well as cameras in the kitchen and patio.
At around 8 a.m., a camera caught a child screaming, a loud slam and a man yelling. It also captured several comments made by a female voice:
“Because with your meetings and everything, you cannot have full custody.”
“I hope she was worth it. Don’t come after my money, don’t come after anything.”
“We should have signed a prenup.”
Text exchanges between Gama and Aponte from around 7 a.m. that day indicate that the couple may have been arguing over an extra-marital affair, according to the warrant.
The Facebook messages had been unsent from both devices but were recovered.
“So let me ask you - when you went to Colombia for your dads funeral what happened there,” Gama said. “Because there are tons of escorts there. And nothing else”
“i understand I broke ur trust,” Aponte said later.
“You broke a lot of things. Its quite serious,” Gama said. “You also broke our marriage vows. “
“...i’m not a good person,” Aponte responded.
Gama replied: “And you’re realizing this just now as your come to Jesus moment.”
The evening before the killings, Gama searched “just found out my husband cheated on me years ago,” according to records from the devices. Shortly before their written argument, she looked up “how does alimony work in Florida” and visited a website for a divorce lawyer.
In an unsent message to her mother, Gama typed out “Call 911,” according to the warrant. At around 9 a.m., someone made multiple searches on an iPad for “911 online report” and “call 911 online.”
No one was spotted on surveillance footage leaving or entering the home on the day of the double murder, until Gama’s parents showed up around noon, the warrant stated.
While being treated at the hospital, Aponte made “spontaneous utterances” before Plantation officers, according to the warrant. He mouthed “I’m sorry,” “I did it” and “Hey, you alright?”
At one point, a nurse asked Aponte why he was laughing, the warrant said.
“That s--t’s crazy,” he replied.
This story was originally published April 3, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
