Michelle Ennis, a 44-year-old woman from Orlando, FL, was tragically shot and killed on June 29, 2019. The incident occurred at a mobile home community on Francois Street, just west of Bithlo. Deputies were called to the scene around 4:15 p.m. and found Michelle Ennis deceased inside a trailer. The autopsy revealed that she had been shot at point-blank range, with the gun so close to her face that it left an imprint of the muzzle on her skin.
There were no eyewitnesses to the killing, which happened inside the trailer.
Jack Russell Mathis Jr., a 34-year-old man, was initially charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of Michelle Ennis. Mathis claimed that the shooting was accidental, telling neighbors and his mother that he "didn't mean to kill" Ennis. However, the crime scene showed no evidence of a struggle, and the autopsy findings contradicted his claims. Mathis' mother, Deborah Hamilton, reported that her son had been at her home shortly before the shooting and had called her, crying hysterically, to say that Ennis "had a knife… and she was shot." When she arrived at his trailer, she found him drinking liquor from a small bottle.
Two neighbors also reported that Mathis had told them the killing was an accident. One neighbor mentioned that Mathis routinely carried a black .40 caliber handgun. Despite his claims of an accidental shooting, Mathis was indicted on a first-degree murder charge by a grand jury, which carries the possibility of the death penalty. He is being held without bond at the Orange County Jail.
The investigation into the death of Michelle Ennis, a 44-year-old woman, revealed that there were no eyewitnesses to the incident, and the evidence pointed to a deliberate act rather than an accident. The case against Jack Russell Mathis Jr. continues to unfold as he faces serious charges for the fatal shooting.
