Carmen Abrams, a 68-year-old woman, tragically lost her life on April 5, 1976, in a murder-robbery incident that occurred in the Hammock area north of Flagler Beach, Florida. Carmen Abrams, who was of Hispanic ethnicity, was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the temple. Her husband, Furman "Joe" Abrams, was critically injured during the same attack and was rushed to Shands Teaching Hospital in Gainesville.
The couple was attacked at their Easy Way Food Store, a location known for its serenity, which was shattered by the violent events of that night.
The investigation revealed that the perpetrators were described as a boy and a girl in their twenties, driving a dark-colored station wagon. Despite an intensive manhunt involving roadblocks and collaboration between Flagler and St. Johns County law enforcement, the suspects initially evaded capture. A couple was taken into custody for questioning but was later released due to insufficient evidence. The store, which did not conduct much business, was believed to have yielded the robbers no more than $50 in cash.
Further developments in the case linked Jeffrey Daugherty, a serial killer, to the murder of Carmen Abrams. Daugherty, who was convicted of multiple murders during a road trip from Michigan to Florida, pleaded guilty to the killings in Flagler and Volusia counties. He was executed by electric chair on November 7, 1988, after being convicted of five murders, including that of Carmen Abrams. Daugherty's execution marked a grim chapter in the history of capital punishment in Florida, as he criticized the legal system and expressed remorse for his actions in his final statement.
