HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office detectives arrested a 54-year-old man Sunday and charged him with second-degree murder of a woman found deceased earlier that day inside his Thonotosassa home, according to the agency.
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Samuel Parsons, a registered sex offender, now faces a charge of second degree murder with a weapon. He previously served approximately 14 years in Florida state prison on a charge of sexual battery on a victim under 12.
Investigators say Parsons told a neighbor to call 911 at around 8 a.m. When deputies arrived at the home on the 9700 block of Ellison Road, Parsons was reportedly standing on the home's front porch.
Inside the home, deputies found the body of a woman with upper body trauma. The victim has not yet been identified.
Detectives took Parsons into custody for questioning, and he was later arrested and charged after he was interviewed and the crime scene was processed.
Prior to Sunday morning, deputies had responded to the home on prior occasions in 2018 for non-violent domestic disturbances. No arrests were made on those occasions, however.
Parsons's prior criminal history also includes a distribution of marijuana charge in 1998 and failure to register as a sexual offender in 2001.
Neighbors we spoke to said they were shocked to see crime scene tape on their quiet street.
"It’s a nice neighborhood. I never thought that this right here would happen," said resident Stephen Leggett. "To wake up and see the road blocked off with police and all this here and a helicopter flying."
Samuel Parsons (Courtesy of Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)