Thimothy Passmore, a 32-year-old man from Thonotosassa, FL, was found dead on August 20, 2018, from a gunshot wound to the chest. Initially, his girlfriend, Rebekah K. Dean, 25, reported the incident as a suicide. She claimed that Thimothy had shot himself during a domestic dispute. However, inconsistencies in her story and forensic evidence led the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office to investigate further. Dean admitted to being under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the incident and stated that she and Thimothy had been arguing before the shooting.
The investigation revealed several discrepancies in Dean's account. She initially told deputies that Thimothy had gone into their bedroom and shot himself, but forensic evidence did not support this version of events. A single 9mm shell casing was found outside the master bedroom, and a bullet hole was discovered in the ceiling. The casing was later confirmed to have come from a black 9mm handgun that Dean had initially claimed was left on the couch but was found in the master bedroom. Dean's changing stories and the forensic evidence led detectives to conclude that she had shot Thimothy.
Dean was arrested on August 23, 2018, and charged with felony manslaughter with a weapon. She admitted to following Thimothy down the hallway with the handgun in an attempt to keep him in the house due to his suicidal statements. Despite her claims of not remembering if she had fired the gun, the evidence suggested otherwise. The autopsy confirmed that Thimothy Passmore, a 32-year-old man, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest. Dean's actions and the subsequent investigation highlighted the tragic outcome of their tumultuous relationship and her impaired state due to drug use.
