Florida dad accused of killing wife and toddler

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Jean Carlos Aponte (Broward County Jail) and authorities searching the water behind his home after he allegedly killed his wife and toddler (WSVN screenshot)

A 40-year-old father in Florida is accused of killing his 38-year-old wife and 2-year-old son, allegedly stabbing both to death in “traumatic” fashion before attempting to take his own life.

Jean Carlos Aponte was taken into custody on Saturday and charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder in the slayings of young Ethan Aponte and Sara Ashley Gama, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

Officers with the Plantation Police Department at about noon on Tuesday, March 26, responded to a call requesting a welfare check on Aponte’s family home in the 1000 block of NW 97th Avenue, according to a report from Miami CBS affiliate WFOR. The home is about 35 miles north of Miami.

The welfare check request was reportedly placed by Ethan’s grandparents.

Upon arriving at the scene, first responders reportedly said they found Ethan and Gama inside of the home. Both were pronounced dead on the scene. An adult male — later identified as Aponte — was also located inside of the home. He was alive but unconscious.

Emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the location and paramedics transported Aponte to a local hospital with what was suspected to be a self-inflicted drug overdose. Aponte remained at the hospital until Saturday, when he was released and booked into the Broward County Jail.

The couple’s newborn child was also found in the home and had not been harmed. The grandparents reportedly took custody of the child.

While authorities have been tight-lipped regarding details of the killings, they did say that the mother and boy both died by “traumatic means,” WFOR reported.

The Plantation Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for more information

Appearing in court for the first time on Sunday, a judge ordered that Aponte undergo a mental health screening, Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ reported.

The station further reported that prior to the tragic slayings, Aponte, a veteran of the U.S. military, had reached out to the Catch a Lift Fund, which is a charitable organization dedicated to providing former members of the armed forces with mental health assistance.

Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient Chris Haley told WTVJ that he had just recently accepted Aponte into the program.

“He had very strong desire to make things right because he had a wife and a kid on the way. That was one of the things I remember very clearly is he wanted to do things right and be a positive example for his family,” Haley reportedly said. “He was struggling. I couldn’t tell if it was severe, but it’s a struggle and I think he wanted to get better. I don’t think he wanted to be miserable and I think he realized you got to do something for yourself sometimes.”

Neighbors said the couple showed no signs of being in duress.

Aponte is currently being held without bond.

An affidavit from Plantation police reviewed by Law&Crime confirmed Aponte’s arrest and his transport to jail, but was otherwise silent as to the details of the alleged crime.