Edmund Clarke Florida man tries to behead man with scissors at convenience store after stabbing him 40 times. Victim id as suspect’s employer’s son.
A Florida man stabbed an acquaintance 40 times with a pair of scissors in an attempted beheading inside a convenience store, officials said.
Edmund Clarke, 36, went into The Trading Post at Burnt Store Marina, a family-owned restaurant and store in Punta Gorda, with the son of an elderly man he acted as a caretaker for.
Upon having entered the convenience outlet, the two proceeded to order food.
Surveillance video showed the pair choosing drinks and placing them on the counter.
Suddenly, Clarke grabs a pair of scissors from a nearby cup before lunging at the victim.
Suspect had served as caretaker for victim’s father
Deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said Clarke allegedly hacked away at the man in an attempt to behead him — while grabbing other knives he found inside the store during the incident.
Clarke’s alleged assault lasted several minutes before deputies arrived. The victim was rushed to a local hospital with severe wounds to his head, neck and torso.
According to an arrest report, Clarke had served as a caretaker for the victim’s father for roughly a decade, WINK reported.
The two met at some point before the incident and Clarke asked to go to the store to get something to eat.
According to a witness, Clarke began experiencing hallucinations and ranted about being targeted by an unknown enemy before launching the assault.
Clarke attempted to behead the victim, WINK reported.
He was arrested at the scene and charged with attempted murder.
‘This disgusting crime will not be tolerated in Lee County,’ said Sheriff Carmine Marceno. ‘I am proud of the quick response of our deputies that helped save the victim’s life, and the hard work of my detectives to take Clarke off the street.’
