It appears a report made to the Department of Children and Families regarding Ruben Deleon and his stepdaughter may have been what fueled an argument that led to the death of Deleon’s wife and put the girl in the hospital with skull fractures.
Lee County deputy Frank Scanlon reported the victim, Jeannette Deleon, 35, was at the Winsome Road home she shared with her husband and two children Thursday afternoon. At least three roommates were there with their children, and she had just received a call from DCF about a report made regarding her daughter and her husband. Scanlon’s report isn’t clear about the exact nature of that report. Ruben had been ordered out of the home on Wednesday.
But on Thursday, he returned.
He came in through the garage and he was holding a gun, according to one witness.
He walked up to his stepdaughter, who was sitting at the kitchen table, and whispered something in her ear.
One of Jeannette’s friends rushed in to see what was happening and Ruben pointed the gun at her, she later told Scanlon. She gathered her children, who were also in the house into a bedroom, where the other friend was, with her children. One of the women reportedly saw Ruben shoot Jeannette before she, the other woman and their children exited the house through a window and raced to call 911.
It appears Ruben shot his wife in the stomach, and then beat his stepdaughter so severely she had a fractured skull and broken finger. Jeanette was rushed to the hospital, where she later died. The girl is still recovering.
When deputies arrived, Ruben initially wouldn’t surrender. He entered and exited the front door several times before deputies were able to tackle and arrest him.
He is currently charged with premeditated homicide and felony attempt/solicit/conspiracy. More charges regarding the girl are likely.
It’s unclear if DCF had been involved with the family prior to the report that was recently made regarding the teen girl.
Records show Ruben, originally of the Dominican Republic, and Jeannette, of New York, were married in November of 2001. Neither had requested any restraining orders.
11:35 a.m. update: Slain North Fort Myers woman identified
The woman killed in Thursday’s shooting has been identified as Jeannette Deleon, the wife of the alleged shooter, Ruben Deleon.
The News-Press and news-press.com have just received the report of what happened at their North Fort Myers home Thursday, so check back soon for further details.
11:14 a.m. update: Teen girl's skull fractured during fatal attack on North Fort Myers woman
The second victim in an attack that killed a North Fort Myers woman was a 14-year-old girl.
Deputies believe Ruben Dario Deleon, 32, pistol-whipped and beat the girl, fracturing her skull. She is still in the hospital, according to Lee County Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Schall. The girl’s injuries are not life-threatening, he said.
The woman who died of a gunshot wound around 6:30 p.m. Thursday has still not yet been identified.
Deleon has not yet been charged in the girl’s assault.
From today's editions of The News-Press: North Fort Myers woman slain; husband in jail
By Gabriella Souza
gsouza@news-press.com
A woman is dead and her husband in custody as deputies investigate the second fatal shooting to occur in North Fort Myers in less than 24 hours.
Ruben Dario Deleon, 32, has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder in the Thursday afternoon shooting.
Around 3:45 p.m., deputies were called to the home in the 1000 block of Winsome Road.
Deputies surrounded the home and told Deleon to come out. Deleon carried a firearm as he walked out of the house, but dropped it once outside. Deputies then took Deleon into custody, according to reports.
Inside deputies found a woman lying on the floor with a gun shot wound to the abdomen.
Anthony Kennedy, who lives down the street from where the shooting occurred, said he was outside when he saw Deleon drive by in a white SUV.
Deleon drove into the yard at the side of the house, jumped out of the SUV and entered the house, Kennedy said. Then Kennedy heard a shot.
Atha Munn was smoking a cigarette on her porch when the shooting occurred.
"I heard pop, pop, pop and here come swarms of police," she said, goosebumps rising on her arms.
Mike Gonzalez, 41, who also lives on Winsome Road, said he heard three shots.
"It sounded like a hammer hitting metal," he said. "I didn't think much of it at the time, but next thing I know I saw cops flying down the street."
Kennedy and Munn both watched as deputies took Deleon into custody.
"His pants were totally soaked in blood," Kennedy said.
"He looked proud," Munn said, shaking her head.
About 15 minutes after Deleon was taken into custody, Kennedy and Munn saw the victim taken out of the home on a stretcher.
"She was conscious," Kennedy said, and blood covered her body.
The 35-year-old woman, who's name will not be released until family is notified, was taken to the hospital where she died around 6:30 p.m., the sheriff's office reports.
Children were present when the woman was shot, said John Sheehan, sheriff's office spokesman, but he would not say whether they were in any way related to Deleon or the victim. Sheehan could not say where the children were after the shooting.
Deleon has no prior record of arrests, according to the sheriff's Web site.
Deputies continue to investigate the death of 22-year-old Daniel Vanfossen, who was found dead at the intersection of Brown Road and Stockton Street around 9 p.m. Wednesday night.
As of Thursday night, no suspects had been arrested in that case.
The Winsome Road area where Thursday's shooting occurred was the location of a Dec. 30, 2004, shooting that killed a 15-year-old.
During that incident, Rashard Omar Patterson suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen during a fight that involved at least 10 other teenagers.
Kennedy, who has a 13-year old son said the neighborhood has a lot of troublemakers and he fears for his safety.
"It scares me to death," he said. "In my day you fought, you fought with your fists."
Munn, who has two daughters under the age of three, said she had just told her husband it was time to move.
"This neighborhood is getting worse and worse," she said.
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