SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma identified the victim of the fatal stabbing in Seminole County as Kristin Stevens, 40.
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Friday morning, Sheriff Lemma said they received a call around 12:30 a.m. for reports of a stabbing at a home along Hibbard Trail in Chuluota.
When deputies arrived, they found Stevens dead in the bedroom with 20-70 stab wounds from a kitchen knife found next to her body, according to deputies.
The suspect was identified as James Lindsey, the the estranged boyfriend of Stevens.
Lindsey died in a car crash fleeing the area when his Chrysler 300 went off the road along Fort Christmas Rd., per Seminole County Sheriff Lemma.
During the press conference, Sheriff Lemma said there was an unidentified male, and the victim’s 16-year-old son inside the home at the time.
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Deputies said the unidentified male told investigators he heard someone breaking into the home and found a man on top of Stevens in the bedroom, stabbing her. He attempted to get the man off of Stevens and was stabbed in the leg.
The unidentified male ran to a nearby home to call 911, per officials.
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The 16-year-old was not harmed in the attack.
Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said the couple have a history of domestic violence dating back almost 18 years.
The most recent case between Stevens and Lindsey happened in Nov. 2024 when Lindsey was arrested for domestic battery, per court records.
In that case, Sheriff Lemma said the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office asked for an ankle monitor and a high bond, but Judge Wayne Culver denied the ankle monitor, set the bond at $1,000, and ordered Lindsey not to return to the home and not to contact Stevens.
According to an article from The Florida Bar, Judge Culver was recently suspended without pay for 60 days and be publicly reprimanded for “engaging in abusive and intemperate conduct during two separate court proceedings,” by the Florida Supreme Court.
WFTV 9 Investigative reporter Ashlyn Webb is contacting Judge Culver to see if he would comment on the Nov. battery case.
If you or someone you know are a victim of domestic violence, contact the state’s domestic violence hotline at 1(800) 500-1119.
Anyone can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1(800) 799-SAFE (7233) or text “START” to 88788 for assistance.
Channel 9 has a crew working to gather more information and will provide updates on Eyewitness News.
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