Jamie Felix, Port St Lucie mom of two and Manatee school teacher shot dead by estranged husband, Ray Felix after forcing the couple’s two children to watch on. Murder suicide comes after Florida woman filing for divorce following domestic violence episode.
A Port St Lucie, Florida mother of two and Manatee 8th grade school teacher had a court case against her husband 3 days before he gunned her down at a West Palm Beach motel parking lot in front of their children.
Jamie Felix, 45, was gunned down in the parking lot of the Quality Inn located in West Palm Beach at the hands of her estranged husband Ray Felix, 60, Friday night as the couple’s two sons, ages 10 and 17 watched on.
The father who fled the scene was later found with a self inflicted gunshot wound outside a rental car facility before eventually succumbing to his injuries later that evening.
Estranged husband was arrested for battery against wife in October
According to court records, Jamie Felix filed for divorce and petitioned the court for protection due to domestic violence against her husband.
The murder-suicide occurred just three days before Ray Felix was due in court on Monday, April 1, after being charged with felony battery, according to court records.
The incident was not the first time Felix who worked as an algebra teacher at Manatee Academy K-8 and her husband had been involved with police.
An arrest report reveals the couple had a violent incident last fall that led to his arrest.
According to an arrest report, Ray Felix, 60, was arrested in October 2023 by Port St. Lucie Police for domestic battery, CBS12 reported. Court records show Jamie filing for divorce in October prior to the domestic battery case.
Ray Felix also worked at Manatee Academy but resigned his position in October, just days after he was arrested for domestic violence against his wife, WPTV reported. Both Jamie and Ray worked at the school since 2019.
Permanent domestic violence injunction
Of note, Ray Felix worked as a maintenance worker, paraprofessional, dean’s clerk and behavior technician at various times. He was named school-related employee of the year twice.
According to the Port St. Lucie Police Chief, Ray Felix had a permanent domestic violence injunction filed against him and he was not supposed to be around Jamie.
But police say Ray Felix kidnapped her and their two children Friday afternoon.
‘She was accosted at that time by her ex-husband and basically forced into a vehicle with the two children and driven around different parts of St. Lucie County,’ said St. Lucie Police Chief Richard Del Toro.
At some point during the drive, police say Jamie Felix, who had previously been nominated teacher of the year, sent her co-workers at the school an email that seemed uncharacteristic of her, and one of the co-workers called police asking them to do a welfare check on her.
The Port St. Lucie Police Chief says he does not know what triggered this incident, what led Felix to shoot and kill his wife and then turn the gun on himself.
Del Toro said the entire incident lasted only about 70 minutes.
‘This is a very big tragedy that involves not only the victim losing her life, but victims left behind parents, children, relatives, family friends, coworkers,’ Del Toro said
He says they are still investigating.
