An Eastside man has been charged with the Christmas Day murder of his girlfriend.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested 24-year-old Breon Leondre Fussell in the death of his girlfriend Shannon Woods, 22.
Fussell was arrested around 8 p.m. Thursday, shortly after police found Woods shot dead in his backyard in the 1000 block of East 12th Street.
JSO Assistant Chief of Investigations Chris Butler said Fussell reportedly shot Woods following a brief altercation but declined to go into details about what provoked the fight. Fussell's parents were inside the home at the time.
"Our investigation revealed that the suspect’s parents heard a gunshot outside their home, then moments later the suspect entered the home, carrying a handgun," Butler said. "He told them to telephone 911 because he had shot the victim."
Butler said Fussell was taken into police custody and confessed to shooting and killing Woods.
According to police, Woods and Fussell had been dating for a year but had no documented history of domestic violence.
Fussell, however, has been previously charged with aggravated assault and battery. He also has a prior drug possession charge, police records show.
A JSO arrest report notes that Fussell's parents told police their son suffered from "mental issues" and had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia for which he takes daily medication.
"In this case, just like the other ones that we have, it's an unfortunate set of circumstances where somebody made an extremely poor choice,and you've got a victim who has suffered death," Butler said.
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