A Citrus County woman is accused of shooting and killing both of her ex-husbands in separate attacks on Dec. 17, one in Bradenton and the other in Tampa, after arriving at one home with a bag of Panera food and opening fire when the door was answered, authorities said.
Investigators in Manatee and Hillsborough counties say the cases are linked and that the suspect, identified as Susan Avalon, 51, was arrested in Citrus County on Dec. 18. Manatee County deputies say one victim, a 54-year-old man, was shot at his Bradenton home shortly before 3 p.m. and later died at a hospital. After deputies questioned Avalon at her home and learned she had more than one ex-husband, Tampa police performed a welfare check that night and found a second ex-husband dead of gunshot wounds. Prosecutors in Manatee County are preparing first-degree murder charges while Hillsborough County detectives pursue a parallel homicide case.
Deputies were called to a house on Chatum Light Run in east Bradenton after neighbors reported gunfire in the afternoon. Inside, they found the victim wounded but conscious and able to speak briefly, according to Sheriff Rick Wells. He indicated his ex-wife may have been the shooter. A 15-year-old girl, the victim’s daughter, was home during the attack. She told investigators she heard three gunshots, looked outside and saw a silver Honda Odyssey leaving the neighborhood with a driver in a gray sweatshirt and a mask. Detectives canvassed nearby businesses and, at a Panera about a mile and a half away, recovered surveillance video of a woman taking an order from a pickup shelf used by delivery drivers and walking out without paying. Investigators believe the suspect carried that bag to the victim’s front door to prompt him to open it.
At a Thursday briefing, Wells said deputies later tracked a vehicle matching the minivan’s tag across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and back to Citrus County. When a Manatee County team arrived at Avalon’s home and waited for local deputies, they saw a woman come outside with bleach and cleaning rags, then begin wiping down a silver Honda Odyssey. Once confronted, Wells said, she was told detectives wanted to talk about her ex-husband. Her reply—“Which one?”—led investigators to contact Tampa police to check the other man’s home. Officers in Tampa found signs of forced entry at a rear door and discovered an adult male inside with fatal gunshot wounds. Detectives said both victims were known to Avalon and that the timing suggested the shootings happened hours apart the same day.
Records reviewed by deputies show Avalon and the Bradenton victim divorced about 11 years ago and had ongoing custody disputes. Investigators said she owed roughly $4,000 in child support and had a December deadline to pay $200 or risk losing her driver’s license. The teen at the Bradenton home described the clothing and vehicle that matched images on Panera’s security footage, according to deputies. Detectives also interviewed Avalon’s live-in boyfriend, who said she had recently located the Bradenton victim’s address and, a day earlier, told him she loved him “in case something happens to her.” He told investigators she returned home after the shootings and stepped into the shower still wearing a gray sweatshirt similar to the one seen on video.
Authorities say the Bradenton victim died Wednesday evening after being transported for treatment. His name and the name of the Tampa victim were not immediately released pending notification of relatives. Deputies said the Bradenton victim’s daughter did not witness the shooting itself. Investigators collected shell casings at the scene and were reviewing home security footage from neighbors. In Tampa, detectives documented damage around a back door consistent with forced entry and were processing the residence for ballistic evidence and fingerprints. Officials said license plate readers captured travel consistent with the route between Citrus and Manatee counties and later toward Hillsborough County.
Wells said his office will seek an indictment for first-degree murder in the Manatee case, citing planning and pretense, and will ask the state attorney to pursue the death penalty. Hillsborough County detectives are working with prosecutors to determine charges in the Tampa homicide. Avalon was booked in Citrus County custody and is expected to be transferred for court proceedings. As of Friday, no hearing dates had been announced publicly. Investigators said additional charges could be filed if evidence shows unlawful entry at the Tampa home or if firearms violations are identified. Officials emphasized the cases remain active and that statements about motive are preliminary.
Neighbors in the Bradenton subdivision told deputies the street was busy with school pickups around the time of the shooting. Several described hearing rapid pops and seeing a minivan speed away. “It doesn’t get any more brazen than this,” Wells said during the briefing, noting the afternoon timing and nearby families outside. At the Tampa address, officers went door to door Thursday morning to inform residents of the investigation and ask for any doorbell video from late Wednesday. A small memorial of flowers appeared near the front walk by midday as crime scene technicians worked inside. Family members of both men either declined to comment or could not be reached Thursday and Friday, authorities said.
For now, investigators say they are piecing together the sequence: Tampa police believe the second ex-husband was killed first in the city earlier on Dec. 17, followed by the Bradenton shooting later that afternoon. Detectives say the Panera footage, the minivan’s movements, the teenager’s account and witness statements form the backbone of the probable cause in Manatee County. The firearm used has not been publicly identified and investigators did not say whether they had recovered a weapon. Authorities also did not disclose where Avalon was between the two crime scenes or whether anyone else may have encountered her that day. Additional lab results and autopsy findings are pending.
As of Dec. 19, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says the Bradenton homicide case is being presented for first-degree murder and a potential death penalty review, while the Hillsborough County case remains under active investigation. Officials plan further updates after next-of-kin notifications and evidence processing. A first appearance for Avalon is expected after her transfer from Citrus County to Manatee County in the coming days.
Author note: Last updated December 19, 2025.