Denecia Seward, a 29-year-old mother of four, was tragically found dead on July 26, 2020, in a room at the Super 8 Motel in Lantana, Florida. Her body was discovered by a guest who noticed the door to her room slightly ajar early that morning. Upon investigation, police found that Seward had been shot once in the neck, with several spent shell casings scattered around the room.
The initial investigation did not immediately reveal a motive for the shooting, and police were searching for a "person of interest" in the case.
The investigation eventually led to Andre Ramirez, Seward's boyfriend, who was identified as the primary suspect. Surveillance footage from the motel showed Ramirez paying for the room and entering it multiple times with Seward and other individuals on the night of the shooting. Around 3:30 a.m., Ramirez was seen running out of the room and driving away in his car. Despite efforts to locate him, Ramirez managed to evade capture for over a year.
Ramirez was finally arrested in 2021 and charged with second-degree murder. During his arrest, it was revealed that he had called his father the morning after the shooting to apologize for his actions, but he did not disclose his whereabouts. Ramirez's vehicle was later tracked through license plate readers in Mississippi and Georgia, but it remained unclear how police eventually pinpointed his location.
In January 2024, Ramirez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with credit for the time he had already served since his arrest. The plea deal was reached to avoid a potential life sentence. Throughout the investigation and trial, the motive for the shooting was never publicly disclosed. Seward's family, who described her as a loving mother and aspiring dancer and gymnast, was devastated by her untimely death and the brutal nature of the crime.
