Man 'lured' roommate into car to shoot crossbow at him: Cops
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Background: The 700 block of Largo Road in Key Largo, Florida (Google Maps). Inset: George Balboni (Monroe County Sheriff”s Office).

A Florida man allegedly tried to kill his roommate with a crossbow because of discarded alcohol, Sunshine State authorities say.

George Balboni, aged 61, is facing charges of attempted murder, as announced by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. The conflict reportedly emerged in the early morning on Tuesday, though tensions had been simmering for a while.

Authorities stated that the suspect “lured” his 69-year-old roommate to a vehicle on their property with the intent of killing him using a crossbow. However, Balboni’s attempt resulted in his roommate sustaining merely “a minor cut to his ear from the arrow,” according to the alleged victim’s account.

Following the initial attack, a more significant altercation ensued. The roommate managed to disarm Balboni by kicking him, seizing the crossbow, and then using it to strike Balboni, rendering him to the ground, as detailed by the sheriff’s office. A booking photo revealed Balboni with noticeable injuries on his face, including cuts located between his eyes and on his forehead.

Deputies arrived at the scene on the 700 block of Largo Road in Key Largo around 6 a.m., where the roommate greeted them and led them to Balboni. Found in the front yard and bleeding from the face, Balboni was in a visibly battered state.

Authorities specifically recorded that “there were several arrows on and near Balboni’s location” — reportedly at least four, based on an arrest report examined by Law&Crime.

The suspect was reportedly resolute about what he had done.

The sheriff’s office reported that “Balboni admitted to shooting the crossbow at the victim,” noting further that the suspect acknowledged saying “I tried to kill him.” He described his roommate as a “parasite” and expressed no remorse, admitting he was only “sorry he missed the shot.”

The 61-year-old suspect was taken to a nearby hospital because of his head injuries. The alleged victim was not hospitalized at all, according to law enforcement officials, who provided a possible motive as they investigated what led to the fight.

The alleged victim and Balboni were “on and off roommates for seven years” and “have had a history of arguments,” per the report. A day and a half before the fight, “the two got into an argument and Balboni threatened to kill him,” leading the roommate to stay at a friend’s place, authorities said.

Their recent dispute reportedly began because the roommate “went through Balboni’s trash and removed a vodka bottle, believing it would make Balboni look bad to their landlord,” the report stated. “This upset Balboni who came up with a plan to kill [the roommate].”

Balboni later indicated to cops that he had “drank nearly the whole bottle that day,” per the report. He added that the roommate “sometimes sleeps on the floor at the Largo Road residence but doesn’t pay rent because he knows the landlord.”

On the morning of the attack, Balboni is said to have woken his roommate up “and asked him to take him to the hospital due to his rib hurting his lung” — a complaint later described as a “fake ailment.” Once the roommate was in the driver’s seat and Balboni was in the front passenger seat, he allegedly aimed the crossbow and shot.

The weapon — a Snake Eyes Mini Cobra crossbow — was reportedly later recovered by law enforcement and found to have blood on it. Blood was also apparently found on a leaf on a bush next to the victim’s vehicle.

“When asked what Balboni was going to do if he had killed [the victim], he indicated he hadn’t thought that far ahead,” the report states.

Balboni was arrested and booked into the Monroe County Detention Center. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 7.

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