Investigators say the suspect used a food delivery ruse before being confronted by her teenage daughter.
BRADENTON, FL — A 51-year-old woman remains in custody after authorities say she fatally shot two of her former husbands across two different Florida counties in a single afternoon, prompted by long-standing disputes over child support and custody.
The investigation into Susan Avalon began Wednesday afternoon following a 911 call from a 15-year-old girl who reported hearing gunshots and seeing a masked person fleeing her home in a silver minivan. Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said the victim, a 54-year-old man, was able to identify his ex-wife as the potential shooter before he died at a local hospital. The case expanded when detectives confronted Avalon at her home and discovered a second victim had been killed in Tampa earlier that same day.
According to investigators, the sequence of events began on the morning of Dec. 17, 2025, when Avalon allegedly traveled to a home on the 12200 block of East Frierson Avenue in Tampa. Police there found the rear door forced open and a second ex-husband dead from multiple gunshot wounds. After this initial shooting, sheriff’s officials say Avalon drove to a Panera Bread restaurant and took a food order that did not belong to her. She then allegedly used the bag as a ruse to appear as a delivery driver when she knocked on the door of her first ex-husband in Bradenton at approximately 2:55 p.m. When the man opened the door to accept the food, he was immediately shot in the abdomen. His teenage daughter, who was inside the home at the time, told deputies she heard the gunfire and saw a person in a gray sweatshirt driving away in a silver Honda Odyssey.
When Manatee County detectives arrived at Avalon’s residence in Citrus County later that evening, they reported seeing her attempting to clean the silver minivan with bleach and rags. Sheriff Wells noted a surreal moment during the initial confrontation when detectives told Avalon they were there to discuss the death of her ex-husband. “She says, ‘Which one?'” Wells told reporters during a news briefing, noting that at the time, his deputies were only aware of the Bradenton shooting. “We only know of one,” the sheriff replied, which eventually led investigators to coordinate with the Tampa Police Department to check on her other former spouse. Avalon reportedly made several derogatory statements about both men to the officers, alleging a history of abuse that investigators are currently reviewing alongside court records.
Court records show that Avalon and the Bradenton victim had been divorced for approximately 10 years, but their relationship remained centered on legal conflict. Investigators found that Avalon owed roughly $4,000 in unpaid child support and had been recently ordered by a judge to pay $200 by December or face the loss of her driver’s license. A court hearing regarding these payments had taken place in October, just weeks before the shootings. Neighbors in the Tampa area reported hearing a single shot followed by a rapid succession of three more, but authorities say no one called 911 at that location until the welfare check was conducted following Avalon’s arrest. The suspect’s live-in boyfriend also spoke with detectives, describing how Avalon returned home that day and took a shower while still fully clothed in the gray sweatshirt she had allegedly worn during the attacks.
Avalon is currently charged with second-degree murder in Manatee County, though prosecutors have indicated they intend to convene a grand jury to seek first-degree murder charges. Given the nature of the double homicide, Sheriff Wells stated that the state may eventually seek the death penalty. In Hillsborough County, Tampa investigators are still processing evidence to file separate charges for the first killing. The 15-year-old daughter, who provided the description of the getaway vehicle, is currently safe and being supported by family members. Legal proceedings are expected to move forward once the two jurisdictions finish aligning their evidence, including the surveillance footage recovered from the Panera Bread and the ballistic reports from the two scenes.
The daughter of the Bradenton victim described her father as a devoted parent whose life was cut short by a “senseless act of violence.” She remains a key witness in the state’s case, as her observations of the vehicle and the timing of the shooting helped detectives track Avalon to her home before more evidence could be destroyed. While Avalon claimed to detectives that her actions were a response to past grievances, law enforcement officials have emphasized that the evidence points to a premeditated and “brazen” plan. “This was a targeted act,” Wells said. “She knew exactly where she was going and what she was going to do.”
Susan Avalon is being held without bond as the State Attorney’s Office prepares for her next court appearance, which is scheduled for later this month. Prosecutors are expected to present the bleach-stained clothing and the stolen delivery bag as evidence of her efforts to conceal the crimes.
Author note: Last updated March 7, 2026.