Eight more BSO deputies disciplined months after Tamarac triple murders

A Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy was fired and seven others were suspended — six without pay — after the triple murder in Tamarac, according to records the Miami Herald obtained Tuesday.

At least 15 BSO officers have been disciplined as internal affairs investigators probe their response to the Feb. 16 slayings of Mary Gingles, 34, her father David Ponzer, 64, and neighbor Andrew Ferrin, 36, in a quiet Tamarac neighborhood — and Mary’s more than a dozen calls to deputies before the killings.

Police arrested Mary’s estranged husband, Nathan Alan Gingles, in connection with the murders. He is behind bars on a slew of charges, including murder, kidnapping and child abuse, and has pleaded not guilty.

READ MORE: Terrorized by her husband, she warned police he would kill her. They failed to stop him

Days after the shootings, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony slammed deputies for multiple failures in the lead-up to the shootings, including not confiscating Nathan’s weapons and not seeking a judge’s order to seize the weapons. BSO could have done so under Florida’s red flag law, enacted after the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High mass shooting in Broward.

“It is clear … we fell short on this one,” Tony said at a press conference after the shootings. “When we rectify this situation, I’m going to send the fear of God amongst this entire agency.”

The union representing BSO deputies criticized the deputies’ disciplinary actions.

“These are hard-working and valued career law enforcement officers who risk their lives every day with integrity, courage, and respect for the safety of this community,” said Dan Rakofsky, the president of Broward Deputy Sheriffs Association, in a statement. “This punishment being prematurely meted out, BEFORE the conclusion of the internal investigation, shows again that there is a rush to prejudge these deputies, as punishment should only be administered for just cause after they have received the due process that the law requires.”

Stephen Tapia, identified by Rakofsky as a trainee who was working alongside his trainer on the day of the murders, was terminated on Friday for “failure to meet probationary standards,” BSO records show.

Deputy Dia Cross, Deputy Daimeon Nelson, Deputy Eric Baide, Deputy Eric Klisiak and Deputy Lemar Blackwood were suspended without pay on Friday, according to the records. Deputy Daniel Lovallo was suspended with pay in April. All of the deputies were assigned to the Tamarac district.

Sgt. Travis Allen, who was placed on administrative investigative leave with pay after the murders, was suspended without pay in late May.

Shakeup in BSO’s Tamarac bureau

BSO’s response to the killings — and to Mary’s voluminous calls — caused a major shake up in the Tamarac district’s leadership, with Captain Jemeriah Cooper, the former head of area, fired in May.

Sgt. Brittney King, Sgt. Devoune Williams and Deputy Ilany Ceballos, who all worked in the Tamarac area, were placed on administrative investigative leave with pay shortly after the murders, according to BSO. Also placed on leave were Civil Division Deputy Joseph Sasso and Dania Beach Deputy Daniel Munoz.

Lt. Micheal Paparella, who had been on administrative investigative leave, returned to full duty status on April 28.

14 calls to BSO before her death

From February 2024 to January 2025, Mary called the sheriff’s office 14 times to report her estranged husband’s increasingly erratic behavior, a BSO call log reviewed by the Herald shows. Court records show Mary feared that she was destined to be killed by Nathan.

Mary and Nathan met in 2016 while serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, which manages military communications systems. They lived in Texas, North Carolina and Germany before moving to Tamarac in 2022 so Nathan could take a job with military contractor General Dynamics at the Southern Command in Doral.

While in Tamarac, Mary got two court-ordered restraining orders against Nathan, citing his outbursts and increasingly erratic behavior after she filed for divorce.

Nathan told their 4-year-old daughter Seraphine that he planned to kill Mary, according to court records.

“Daddy is trying to make you die,” she said to her mother after a visit with her father.

This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 12:37 PM.

Grethel Aguila

Miami Herald

Grethel covers courts and the criminal justice system for the Miami Herald. She graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), speaks Spanish and Arabic and loves animals, traveling, basketball and good storytelling. Grethel also attends law school part time.