Florida father hurls his 5-year-old daughter from a Tampa Bay bridge

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-c...g-thrown-bridge-st-petersburg-florida-n282036

A Florida father charged with hurling his 5-year-old daughter from a Tampa Bay bridge just after midnight Thursday had repeatedly sought a domestic violence injunction against the girl's mother, police revealed. That request was declined last month.

A motive for the heinous act, however, wasn't immediately clear after the suspect — 25-year-old John Jonchuck Jr. — refused to talk after his arrest, St. Petersburg Police Chief Tony Holloway said at a news conference Thursday morning.

Jonchuck, who had custody of his daughter, had been sitting in his Chrysler PT Cruiser at the top of the Dick Misener Bridge moments after speeding past a police officer who was headed home, Holloway said. The officer had pursued the driver to the span.

The man got out of his car and the officer drew his weapon. "The suspect started talking, but the officer didn't understand what he was saying," the chief said. The man then walked over to the passenger's side door and pulled out a child, her face buried in his chest. The suspect tossed the girl over the guard rail, and she plummeted about 60 feet into the cold waters, Holloway said.

It wasn't clear if the girl — Phoebe Jonchuck — was alive at that moment, and investigators are awaiting the results of a medical examiner's report to determine when the kindergartner died. "I don't even know what was going through this guy's mind," Holloway said.

While the officer climbed down one of the bridge's ladders to find the girl, the suspect peeled off. Two officers who were on their way home heard a call come in about the incident and were able to locate Jonchuck across the bridge, Holloway said. He was apprehended, but didn't want to talk.

Meanwhile, search and rescue teams recovered the little girl's body from the water after 1 a.m. ET, after currents carried it about a mile from the scene. Attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead about an hour-and-a-half later, police spokeswoman Yolanda Fernandez told NBC News.


Jonchuck was booked into the Pinellas County Jail and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated fleeing and eluding, and aggravated assault with a motor vehicle on a law enforcement officer. His arraignment was scheduled for later Thursday.

He was previously arrested on battery domestic violence charges numerous times since 2008, but those were dropped in each case, jail records show. He was also arrested on a DUI charge in 2013.

 

Omg that's horrible.

 

Assuming he's guilty of murder he should be left to the prison blaeks in Miami Dade. They'll know what to do. They'll know what to do.

 

It's really just a terrible story. I cannot imagine hurting your own child

 

he has kind eyes

 

I read that story earlier and considered posting it, but the thought of that fucking piece of shit throwing an innocent 5yo off a major bridge so disturbed me, I just closed the page.


Her car seat after he was taken down.

 

he looks like Bubs

 

That's the thing that I can never understand, sure my kids aggravate me sometimes when they act up or fight with each other, but they are me! I see myself and my wife in them to the smallest detail, they are gifts and should live on after we're gone, I would protect them with my life.

 

The kind that should take a bullet at close range

 

Florida Man strikes again!

You know, there's always talk of an earthquake causing California to fall into the ocean, but you rarely hear people discuss detonating enough charges to do just that to Florida. But you should.

 

Why couldn't he have left the little girl in the car and jumped off himself ?
Fucking asshole.

 

Why wasn't this guy pumped full of bullets? The minute that girl was thrown over, the cop could have unloaded on him and no one would have questioned it. Instead, he was allowed to flee. What if he had gone and killed someone else? Now had he been black........

 

That's not how the demented mind works. Hope this guy gets the Dahmer treatment in prison.

 

I believe the father was mumbling "Fly! Be free!"






Ok, I think I need to take a shower now.

 

He's worse off now than if he would have jumped. I guess if you're crazy that kind thing doesn't cross your mind.
I hope they cell him up with a Black Guerrilla Family leader.

 

His fellow inmates will no doubt be throwing him down a flight of stairs on a daily basis...