INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Two cousins were charged in a plot where a 53-year-old woman was fatally shot and robbed for her 90 opioid pills, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Antonio Duane McNeal, 28, of Sebastian, and Egbert Keith Taylor, 20, of Vero Beach, were each charged with murder, armed robbery and tampering with evidence.
The two are accused of shooting Sharon Sewell, of Indian River County, on Oct. 30 and leaving her body on the side of the road in the 6200 block of 61st Street.
Antonio McNeal
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Egbert Taylor
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
They also are accused of selling the 90 pills, which have a street value of about $3,000, and burning Sewell’s purse.
“It’s horrible to see crimes like this; it’s horrible to see career criminals do this,” said Sheriff Deryl Loar.
McNeal is a career criminal and had been out of the Department of Corrections for 180 days, Loar said. Taylor was on misdemeanor probation and Sewell has no criminal history.
Deputies think McNeal befriended Sewell, but their exact relationship was not available.
Sewell’s family and friends were at a news conference at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Sheriff’s Office where Loar spoke about the arrests and the opioid epidemic.
“The family is relieved that the case is solved,” Loar said.
A motorist found Sewell’s body on Oct. 30 lying on the side of the road. Deputies initially thought Sewell was a victim of a traffic homicide, but autopsy reports showed the woman was shot in the back of the head.
What happened
Deputies spoke with Taylor, who said McNeal picked him up at his home and that Sewell was in the front passenger seat of the car. Taylor said he was going to be the decoy while McNeal robbed Sewell.
Taylor was in the back seat of the car when McNeal drove to 61st Street and stopped the car. Taylor told deputies McNeal “acted like the car was overheating and they needed to stop and put water in the radiator.”
McNeal then opened the trunk where he had the water and opened the hood to the engine, deputies said. Taylor said McNeal lured Sewell out of the car to help him put water in the radiator, walked up behind her and shot her in the head.
Taylor said they left Sewell’s body in the roadway and drove back to McNeal’s home in Wabasso. Deputies still haven’t determined which cousin shot Sewell.
After the crime
After the shooting, Taylor said McNeal asked him if he knew anyone that would buy the opioid pills he stole from Sewell. When they arrived at McNeal’s home, McNeal burned Sewell’s purse and took Taylor to sell the pills at different locations in Gifford, deputies said.
Then, Taylor said McNeal took him back to McNeal’s home and gave him about $200 to $300 from the pill sales.
Interviews with the suspects
Deputies got surveillance footage of Sewell at the Malabar Discount Pharmacy located in Brevard County. It showed Sewell with McNeal at the pharmacy, where she picked up 90 dilaudid prescription pills.
Sewell’s prescriptions were legally prescribed. She used them to treat her chronic pain from neck surgery and a past car accident, a family member said.
A picture of Sharon Sewell (bottom), who deputies said was fatally shot and robbed Oct. 30 by Antonio McNeal (left) and Egbert Taylor (right).
Deputies learned that McNeal was on felony probation and was wearing a GPS ankle bracelet, deputies said. The GPS location showed McNeal being at the crime scene where Sewell’s body was found.
McNeal was interviewed numerous times and initially denied being with Sewell on the day of the homicide. When deputies showed McNeal the surveillance footage and told him about his GPS device placing him at the crime scene, his story kept changing.
He eventually admitted to being with Sewell on the day of the murder. McNeal told deputies his cousin, Taylor, robbed him and Sewell at gunpoint and then shot and killed Sewell for her prescription pills, deputies said.
McNeal continued to be inconsistent with statements and was arrested on Nov. 9 for violation of probation. Deputies spoke with Taylor, where he denied being the shooter and said McNeal shot Sewell in the head.
Taylor told deputies that McNeal called him on Oct. 30 and said he “had a lady who had some pills.” Taylor said he understood McNeal’s intention was to rob Sewell of her 90 dilaudid pills.
Dilaudid is a pain medication and is one of the more powerful synthetic narcotics in the opioid class of drugs. An addiction to dilaudid can rapidly develop through continued use, according to the Addiction Center.
Taylor said he had no part in the woman’s murder and that he didn’t know McNeal was going to shoot her. Both McNeal and Taylor told deputies they do not use prescription medicine for recreational purposes.
The arrests
Deputies went to McNeal’s home on Nov. 4 and found a burned purse and other small burnt items in a wooded lot behind his home. Through a forensic examination, deputies determined the items belonged to Sewell.
Deputies spoke with McNeal on Nov. 27, where he admitted that he and Taylor planned to rob Sewell of her pills.
McNeal admitted to faking a vehicle mechanical problem and luring Sewell out of the car during the incident.
McNeal said he and Taylor made about $600 from the pill sales. Taylor was arrested and McNeal, who was already in custody, was given the extra charges; both are at the Indian River County Jail without bond.
Loar said deputies learned McNeal also was involved in unlawful sexual activity with a minor. Further details on that crime were not available, but more charges are expected.
Family reaction
Sewell’s brother, David Kievit, remembers his sister as a loving and caring person that was well liked by many people. He said her death was a shock to the family and that the arrests of McNeal and Taylor has brought closure.
“It has been a long month. We’re doing okay,” said Kievit, 57, of Vero Beach. “It was a tragic event. The Sheriff’s Office did a good job of keeping us updated.”
The brother said there has been an outpouring of support from people whose lives were touched by Sewell.
“Everywhere she went, she would make friends with everybody,” Kievit said. “She always had a smile on her face; she will be missed.”
Sewell loved the beach, the ocean and cats, according to Kievit.
The brother said he spoke with his sister earlier on the day of her death. He said Sewell told him she was having car problems and that the car was not working, but she didn’t ask for a ride.
Kievit said he wasn’t sure if Sewell was employed and that she might’ve been trying to get a job with H.A.L.O. Animal Rescue in Sebastian. He said he didn’t know McNeal or Taylor and why his sister would befriend McNeal.
Sewell leaves behind a son, daughter and three grandchildren, according to Kievit. The daughter and three grandchildren live in North Carolina and the son lives in Fellsmere.
Their ages were not available. The woman also leaves behind an older sister, age 59, who lives in Ohio.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been planned, Kievit said.
Criminal past
McNeal has an extensive criminal record that includes grand theft, armed burglary, possession of cocaine, grand theft of an automobile and more, according to the Sheriff’s Office.