Confession in violent Fruit Cove murder

Some of the gory details surrounding the discovery of a violently murdered 53 year-old Fruit Cove man have come to light for Historic City News readers when St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar announced an arrest and confession in the case.

Investigators say that 24 year-old Latoya Korren Jordan, met Daniel Stuart Somerson at the end of May through a personal ad on the Internet website “Craigslist”. According to Shoar, Somerson picked Jordan up for a date and the couple returned to Somerson’s home at 1198 Popolee Road in St. Johns County.

Apparently Jordan, who is originally from Culpepper, VA, has traveled around, finding men who are willing to take her in, and support her. Detectives learned that Jordan used many different identities with the men she met on-line.

Jordan reportedly utilized Craigslist to seek other men — both prior to the Somerson’s murder and with at least four other men since she left St. Johns County.

Investigators traced Jordan to the residence of a 52 year-old man from Bay County who lives in Fountain, near Panama City, where she was taken into custody today. “When contacted by detectives, Jordan admitted her involvement in the Fruit Cove murder,” Shoar said.

During this evening’s press conference, the sheriff reported that when local deputies discovered Somerson’s body, it had been so severely decomposed that dental records had to be used to make positive identification.

The cause of death was multiple stab wounds and the manner of death was ruled a homicide by Dr. Predrag Bulic. Sheriff Shoar says, at this time, as far as he knows, the killer’s motivation was extreme “anger”.

Jordan is said to have resided at Somerson’s home “for some time” after he was killed — and before she found another man on Craigslist. Jordan reportedly accompanied her next man to the Tampa area.

A warrant is currently being sought for Jordan’s arrest and transfer in connection with the Somerson murder. She is facing first degree murder charges when she is returned to St. Johns County.

“The U.S. Marshal’s Service has been instrumental in locating Jordan,” Shoar told reporters. “The other agencies who assisted are the Pinellas County and Bay County Sheriffs’ Offices as well as the Homicide Investigations Unit of the State Attorney’s 7th Judicial Office.”