Your Florida Daily: Florida traffic stop reveals mass murder plot; severe weather risk

Plus, strange drawing on walls of one of Florida’s last antebellum homes

Henry Horton, 19 (Palm Beach County Jail)

In Pasco County, deputies say a man killed his parents before taking his own life.

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According to the sheriff’s office, the bodies of a 70-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman were discovered at a home in Wesley Chapel on Monday.

“Neighbors had already told us that the house appeared to be flooded that water was coming out from the garage and doors and that’s what deputies say when they arrived,” said Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco.

“Deputies made entry -- they had to make entry through the window because they couldn’t get through the door.”

He said the couple was found stabbed to death in their living room.

“It also appears they were there for several days.”

Deputies then discovered the body of a 32-year-old man locked inside a bathroom

“He was in the bathtub. It appears this was self-inflicted, that he died of his own causes.”

The sheriff said investigators are working to find out why the man killed his parents, but according to Nocco, neighbors said the son was dealing with mental health issues.

The sheriff encouraged anyone in a domestic violence situation to reach out for help.

Henry Horton, 19 (Palm Beach County Jail)

A traffic stop for a broken headlight leads law enforcement to uncover plans for a mass murder spree in South Florida.

According to the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, a Jupiter police officer pulled over 19-year-old Henry Horton IV after seeing that his truck’s passenger headlight was broken.

During the traffic stop, an arrest affidavit shows police searched Horton’s truck, uncovering several handwritten pages documenting his plans to buy firearms and, quote, “kill everyone at (Okeechobee High School) with my guns”.

The affidavit shows in a later interview with detectives, Horton said he was planning on killing 15 people at the school before heading to a church in Miami for a “stabbing spree”.

Investigators think Horton had been heading to the church for “recon” prior to the traffic stop.

According to the affidavit , when asked about why he wanted to attack the church, Horton replied, “I guess I just don’t like religion”.

Horton was committed under Florida’s Baker Act and is now being held on a million dollars bond.

Surge of tropical moisture ramps up rain coverage in Central Florida. (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

A large swath of Florida is under risk for severe weather tonight.

Forecasters say a surge of tropical moisture is expected to filter across the state, bringing pockets of heavy rain and thunderstorms.

The storms are expected to become widespread tonight into Thursday morning, and the main concern from the National Weather Service is that they could produce an isolated tornado or two through the overnight hours.

Later on in the week, the biggest cooldown yet this season could slice through.

Next Monday, we could see high temperatures in the 70s with clear sunny skies.

Random Florida Fact

One of Florida’s last antebellum homes still standing today is located in Gainesville.

The historic Haile Homestead is interesting because every single wall in the house is covered in doodles, notes, recipes and journals -- all made by the Haile family in the late 1800s.

The old cotton plantation was abandoned sometime in the 1930s, and when a explorting movie producer rediscovered the property and was fascinated by the scribbling on the walls.

No one knows why they wrote all over the home, though docents suggest it was possibly because of the lack of paper.

You can tour the Haile Homestead for a fee on weekends.

Photo from Alachua Conservation Trust (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)
Kanapaha, a.k.a. Haile Homestead or Haile Plantation House, was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Photo from Florida Memory. (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

About the Author

Katrina Scales is a producer for the News 6+ Takeover at 3:30 p.m. She also writes and voices the podcast Your Florida Daily. Katrina was born and raised in Brevard County and started her journalism career in radio before joining News 6 in June 2021.

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