In Florida, authorities have apprehended an eye doctor on charges of murdering his ex-wife. This incident followed a divorce that required him to pay a $285,000 settlement to her. The ex-wife, who worked as a flight attendant, was allegedly attacked as she returned home from her job.

Richard Edmond Seith, aged 53, is accused of first-degree murder for the killing of his ex-wife, Cynthia Lynn Sciarrone, outside her condo in Greenacres, Palm Beach County. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, deputies responded to a “man down” call at the condo around 3:20 a.m. on July 15. They discovered Sciarrone outside her car, dressed in her Spirit Airlines uniform, with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

Investigators reviewed footage from the surveillance camera in Sciarrone’s car, which showed her arriving home at about 11:43 p.m. the previous night. A gunshot is audible in the video, and the police noted that it captures a man in a baseball hat leaving the area.

Cops obtained cellphone data and license plate readers that allegedly showed Seith was driving his orange Jeep Wrangler in the area of his ex-wife’s condo before and after the slaying. A witness also said he saw Seith’s vehicle near the complex in the days leading up to the homicide. Seith also made internet searches suggesting he was looking for when his wife’s flight may be arriving at the airport, according to the affidavit.

Detectives learned Seith and Sciarrone finalized their divorce on May 5. As part of the settlement, Seith owed his ex-wife some $285,000 to pay off a mortgage of a home she received. Also in recent months, Sciarrone had reported two previous vandalism incidents involving her vehicle for which she believed Seith to be responsible.

A witness told deputies she used to date Seith and later became friends with Sciarrone after the couple got married in 2018. Sciarrone would confide in the witness about her and Seith’s marital problems. The witness said Seith displayed an “escalating pattern of emotional and psychologically abusive behavior” toward Sciarrone. He also allegedly demanded she “swing” with other sexual partners, which “she was not comfortable doing, especially with strangers.” Seith promised to pay for necessary dental work if she were to partake in the swinging, cops said.

Sciarrone had begun a career as a flight attendant so she could become more financially independent from her then-husband, but this also caused problems, according to police. For example, Seith could not drink alone at home while she was training because he would go into a “dark place” imagining what she was doing away from him, the affidavit said.

Per the witness, Seith also “proudly” confessed to his wife about how he created a fake Facebook account to stalk an ex-girlfriend and how he contacted her new partner to call her a “gold digger.” In turn the ex-girlfriend reached out to Sciarrone after Seith contacted her. She told Sciarrone to “run run run” from Seith, according to the affidavit.

The witness also told investigators how Seith had sought out professional help after he had thoughts of killing his other ex-wife during their divorce.

Seith was interviewed by detectives on July 16. He claimed the last time he saw his ex-wife was at a court hearing in December. He denied any involvement in her death, the affidavit said.

Cops arrested Seith on Friday.

The defendant works as an ophthalmologist and owns the Treasure Coast Eye Specialist in Stuart. The company posted a statement earlier on Monday on its Facebook page.

Seith remains in the Palm Beach County Jail without bond.