DAVIE, Fla., Aug. 6, 2008
Fla. Man Charged With Federal Agent Murder
James Patrick Wonder Detained After Allegedly Shooting A Customs Agent Outside Post Office
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This photo of a poster released Aug. 6, 2008 by Pembroke Pines, Fla. police shows James Patrick Wonder. (AP Photo/Pembroke Pines Police)
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The widow of U.S. Custom agent Donald Pettit, center, talks to family members and friends after an Aug. 6, 2008 press conference in Pembroke Pines, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter)
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"We did it!" were the first words at a late night news conference Wednesday when police announced that they had charged James Patrick Wonder of Miramar with the murder of Federal Agent Donald Pettit, according to CBS affiliate WFOR-TV in Miami.
"We told you we would get you," Pembroke Pines Deputy Chief Mike Segarra said as officers and supporters burst into sustained applause.
Wonder, 65, was detained without incident after a SWAT team and dozens of officers surrounded a shopping center in this community about 10 miles from Fort Lauderdale, said Pembroke Pines Deputy Police Chief Mike Segarra.
More than 400 law enforcement officers and at least two Blackhawk helicopters had been scouring South Florida for the suspect in the killing of 52-year-old customs agent Donald Pettit.
The agent was with his 12-year-old daughter when he was shot during a fight Tuesday morning in a post office's parking lot in nearby Pembroke Pines. Authorities did not immediately know if Wonder, a Miramar resident, had an attorney.
Police received an anonymous tip that led to Wonder's arrest, but Segarra said Pettit's daughter was instrumental in identifying him.
"She's the star," Segarra said. "She is strong. She is something else. With her, and the tip we received, justice was served."
Earlier Wednesday, Pettit's widow, Ileana, pleaded for help in finding her husband's killer. She later thanked the people who turned in more than 500 tips to authorities.
"Thank you, thank you everyone," said Pettit's widow, Ileana, who stood with police investigators struggling to hold back tears, reports WFOR. "The public, the media, all these people behind me, these law enforcement people, volunteers. You did it, you did it. You found this man."
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Add a Comment See all 14 Comments
- And summarex...aaahh...never mind...
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- NextGenMan, you know what I meant. And don''t even start with the cliched: "I pay you" bull ***. I don''t think it''s your name signing my paycheck. Go hug a tree or something.
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- Well, you know how it is.
When they''re not kicking your doors in and swarming your home in their black uniforms or terrorizing your relatives with monumental threats if they don''t finger you for somne crime you never committed, these thugs keep busy by antagonizing and threatening ordinary folks on the street. Every now and again they run into someone who fights back.
I''m certain that if the real facts come out we will come to realize that Mr Wonder acted appropriately and had no choice in deleting this vermin from the gene pool.
Does anyone know if there is some sort of defense fund for him. I''m sure he''s going to need first class representation to overcome the power of the government mafia. - Reply to this comment
- Murder is murder...and Florida has the death penalty. Segarra is wrong...justice has not been served...yet. This still needs to go to court.
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- Good question x420greg.
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- May God Almighty Have mercy on your soul,He is the only on that can save you now.To the rest of the population ,the real culprit is SATAN he is against all of us,not excusing the fact that he is responsible for his actions ONLY JESUS can save him now.(WHO SOEVER CALLS UPON THE LORD JESUS WILL BE SAVED)gOD WORD STANDS AND ALLWAYS WILL.
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- Can you be charged with killing a federal agent if you did not know he was an agent when you killed him?
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- I can''t see wasting a surgical procedure like frontal lobotomy on Jim Wonder. He should be convicted and executed for the murder of a Federal Agent. It makes better sense to save the tax dollars.
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- I HOPE INMATE WONDER BURNS IN HELL.
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- Yes, I am glad they caught this guy - he''s a thug and deserves whatever he gets for this horrible act.However, how do you charge someone with 1st degree murder that occurred during a fight? And what is the rest of the story? Who started the fight and what was it about?
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