JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — New details have emerged on an arrest made in connection with the murder of a woman whose body was found in a San Marco lake last July.
Originally, police had arrested Dedric Wesley for 24-year-old Beverly Febres’ murder. But his charges were dropped. Now, charges against Kamaree Singleton, who was already in custody, were upgraded to include one count of murder and two counts of tampering with evidence.
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A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office report shows the shooting happened at Singleton’s home off Amazon Avenue on the Westside.
A neighbor who didn’t want to be identified said she’s not surprised about last year’s shooting.
“Gunfire is going on all the time around here,” the neighbor said.
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On Jul. 12, 2022, Febres’ body was found in Lake Marco with two gunshot wounds to her head.
The new police report indicates there was a fight between Singleton and Febres the night before. They were at Singleton’s home along with Wesley, who was Febres’ boyfriend, and two others.
The arrest warrant for Wesley said he had last seen Febres the night before. But a new state’s attorney’s defense motion indicates surveillance video captured both inside a liquor store around 10:40 that night.
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In Singleton’s arrest report, both witnesses told detectives Febres shot Singleton -- grazing him on his stomach before driving away. She returned a short time later. That’s when the report says Singleton shot and killed her.
After uncovering this evidence, police dropped the charges on Wesley.
Action News Jax law and safety expert Dale Carson has decades of law enforcement experience and says while he doesn’t believe it happened in this instance, an officer can be disciplined for a wrongful arrest.
Photos: Woman’s body found in San Marco lake
“If the police improperly arrest you, you can bring civil rights charge against them,” Carson said.
But when the court signs the warrant, it’s tough to accuse an officer of wrongdoing.
“It legitimizes the system response to someone’s probable cause arrest and really eliminate the possibility that an individual was wrongly arrested,” Carson said.
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The defense motion states Singleton confessed to shooting Febres and dumping her body in Lake Marco.
A few days after the incident, Singleton was arrested on four drug-related charges and DUI.
When I reached out to the Febres’ family, they said they did not want to comment.