YULEE, Fla. — An attempted murder victim was shot, stabbed, and beaten in Yulee but lived to help police arrest the suspected attackers.
The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office said MaryEmma Degaris and Billy Corson are charged with attempted murder.
According to the police report, the attack started in Yulee on Monday, Oct. 11. The 43-year-old victim stated he was walking to his car in the early morning when he got into a fight with Degaris.
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Degaris told police that the victim was aggressive with her and high on drugs. “Degaris stated [Billy Corson] is an acquaintance and took offense to the male’s actions toward her,” the police report said. Degaris told police the fight became physical.
“The injuries were later known to include two gunshot wounds, several stab wounds, a traumatic brain injury, depressed skull fracture, frontal sinus fracture, and facial lacerations.”
The victim told police he was threatened with a gun to get into a plastic bag. Police said the suspects drove the victim in his stolen car down to the Guana Six Mile Boat Ramp in Ponte Vedra, where they allegedly dumped his body.
The victim was found “bloody and beaten” and taken to Memorial Hospital with two gunshot wounds and six stab wounds.
Because the victim was conscious, he was able to tell the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office that his car, a 2012 Chevy Malibu, was equipped with GPS tracking.
Deputies tracked his vehicle to Peaceful Road in Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to the area less than 12 hours after the alleged attack.
“Officers with the JSO attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle, and it began to flee. A short time later, the vehicle was immobilized, and four subjects were taken into custody. [The victim’s] Chevrolet Malibu was sealed by an evidence technician with the JSO and towed to the SJSO Evidence Bay for future processing.”
Action News Jax Law and Safety Expert Dale Carson, with experience in law enforcement, said the different county agencies often work together to solve crimes.
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“The criminals don’t recognize the existence of county lines. They go wherever they want to go,” Carson told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant. “This would happen rapidly because the victim is conscious and can report to police what has happened.”
The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency on the case because the crime started in Yulee.