Helen N. Hanlon 88, Sebastian

Police: Man admitted to killing woman, putting her body in pickup

SEBASTIAN — A 56-year-old man was jailed after police said he admitted killing his fiancée and abandoning her body in a pickup at a Walmart Supercenter parking lot on Tuesday. "He transported her to Walmart to make it appear he was not involved," Sebastian police Cpt. Tim Wood said. Wood said officers arrested Michael Despres, of the 400 block of Briarcliff Circle, Sebastian. An Indian River County sheriff's jail deputy confirmed that Despres was charged with premeditated first-degree murder. Despres' booking information had not been uploaded to the Indian River County Sheriff's Office website as of 8 p.m. Tuesday. Officers identified the victim as Jeanine Bishop, 67, of Sebastian. A motive for the homicide was not immediately available. Police responded ...

Construction workers find man’s body inside Porta Potty

VERO BEACH — Two construction workers were shocked and saddened after discovering the body of a man inside a Porta Potty Tuesday morning. "I'm getting chills just talking about it," said John Digiulio, an employee for Liberty Insulation and Fireproofing. "It's a sad day in Vero Beach." The man has not been identified and his age was not available. It was unclear how long the man had been in the portable restroom. Foul play was not suspected in the man's death, Vero Beach police spokesperson Master Officer Darrell Rivers said. Digiulio, 44, and his work partner, Mark Gidron, 56, both of Fort Lauderdale, were performing renovations inside of West Bay Trading Company on the corner of 21st Street and 6th ...

11-year-old breaks into church, steals laptop on Christmas Day

GIFFORD — An 11-year-old who deputies said broke into a church and stole a laptop on Christmas Day, was detained. Deputies also arrested the boy's mother after saying she failed to report the boy as missing. The Gifford youth told deputies he stole the $700 laptop because "he wanted something to play with," reports show. Deputies said the juvenile was a runaway. An arrest report noted the incident took place at St. Peter's Missionary Baptist Church, located just south of St. Peter's Academy. Both facilities have the same address at 4250 38th Avenue, Gifford. The report indicated the child previously attended the church or school, but it was unclear which one. Deputies charged the youth with burglary of a structure ...