Florida man found guilty of attacking woman he met online with hammer
05/15/2023 4:04 pm PDT
HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. (TCD) -- A jury convicted a 33-year-old man last week on charges related to the attempted killing of a woman he met online.
According to a news release from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, on Aug. 17, 2019, deputies responded to the Freedom Gardens Apartments to a report of a severely beaten female. The caller, a neighbor, reportedly heard the woman screaming, and when he went to help her, she told him she’d been "hit in the head with a hammer."
The victim’s 7-year-old child was inside the apartment during the attack and was "extremely upset," the Sheriff’s Office said.
The suspect, Timothy Kydd, reportedly fled the scene following the incident.
The victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition and sustained numerous skull fractures, including an orbital fracture and a cervical fracture, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Upon further investigation, the Sheriff’s Office learned the victim and suspect met each other on a dating website, and the victim brought Kydd back to her place to spend the night.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, inside the apartment, Kydd attacked her in the head with a hammer when the victim told him to leave. He then reportedly "placed his hand over the victim’s mouth, preventing her from screaming." The victim’s child allegedly ran to the victim’s bedroom, and Kydd hit the victim again before the neighbor came to help.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Kydd left behind a backpack with his identification, and officials learned he had previous arrests for "violent crimes and had open cases in other local jurisdictions."
The Sheriff’s Office said after he fled, "Kydd took the opportunity to post comments on the HCSO Facebook page regarding this incident," and he called the Sheriff’s Office "to speak to Detective Burger to advise that he was in Georgia." However, the Sheriff’s Office located Kydd the next day and arrested him at his mother’s home in Ocala, Florida.
On May 10, a jury found Kydd guilty of attempted second-degree murder. He is scheduled to be sentenced May 31 and faces up to life in prison.
Since his arrest, the Sheriff’s Office said, "Kydd has been involved in several incidents that have resulted in additional charges."
In July 2020, he reportedly "damaged a sprinkler head that caused his detention center pod to flood." He entered a plea agreement for the incident, and his sentencing is pending.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, in February 2022, Kydd allegedly sent a letter from the detention center to 5th Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Daniel Merritt Jr. stating there was a bomb at the courthouse, and the courthouse had to be evacuated as a result. There was reportedly a "suspicious item" in the courthouse, but it was later determined to be safe. The case is pending.
Also in February 2022, Kydd reportedly elbowed a detention deputy in the face and pleaded guilty. His sentencing is pending.
Kydd was arrested again in February 2022 after reportedly damaging a sprinkler head, causing flooding to his detention center pod. The Sheriff’s Office said Kydd pleaded guilty, and his sentencing for that charge remains pending as well.
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