Police: Autistic Florida man was followed home from Walmart and murdered

ajc.com

Credit: SJSO

Credit: SJSO


He was chosen because he was seen as a “soft target.”

St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar updated us today on the death of Carl Starke, a 36-year-old autistic man who was murdered outside his home at the Vista Cove condo complex in St. Augustine.

According to Shoar, Starke’s daily routine included going to a Home Depot, then to a Walmart and finally a trip to GameStop before going home to his mother for dinner.

The three suspects spotted Starke and followed him back to the complex where he was shot in the chest. Shoar says Starke’s car wasn’t ever stolen; instead the suspects drove off in a different stolen car.

St. Johns deputies came across the stolen car Wednesday afternoon and attempted to pull them over. The suspects continued driving and crashed in a wooded area near Ravenswood Drive.

One of the suspects was apprehended immediately, while the other two fled and were eventually detained. This caused six area schools to temporarily go on lockdown.