JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two armed men came up behind a disabled Jacksonville woman as she tried to get into her Southside home. They put a gun to her head, which was caught on video.
When Hilary Dean’s boyfriend hears her screams, he runs out to scare the guys away, which may have saved her life.
Dean said that she has been devastated and is still very upset. This took place at Sonoma Southside Condominium Rentals on Wednesday night.
The suspects are still out there, and she’s afraid they’ll come back or hurt someone else. Because of this, she wants to tell people to be very careful where they go.
Hilary Dean says that two guys wearing masks came out of the shadows, and one of them put a gun to her head.
The 31-year-old woman said that her children heard their mother beg for her life from the other side of the door.
“It sounds like he’s saying, ‘Shut up, or I’ll kill you.’ But all I knew was to get on my knees and start screaming,” Dean said.
Dean’s boyfriend also heard her calls for help and came to her aid, scaring the guys away. Now that he isn’t there, she can’t help but wonder what would have happened if he hadn’t been.
She said that they called the Sheriff’s Office in Jacksonville right away. K9s were used to search the area for hours, but they didn’t find anything.
“This is scary,” said Dean. “It’s scary for more than just me. My kids find it scary. It’s scary for the kids of other people. For other women and for women who are lonely. Anyone could be affected by this.”
First Coast News Crime and Safety Expert Mark Baughman thinks the guys look like experienced criminals because of the “brazen” way they approached Dean while wearing masks and gloves, but he said Dean did exactly what she should have done to protect herself.
“She was very good at what she did, which was screaming, yelling, and making noise. She knew there was a Ring camera there. She shouted loud enough for people to hear, and they did come to help. That was very important,” Baughman said.
Dean will never forget this one night.
Dean said, “We never know what could happen at any time.” “What could have happened if my boyfriend wasn’t home to scare them away? What would become of my children? It could have gone any way. What if that gun had gone off and hurt me?”
Call JSO’s Crime Tips line at 904-630-0500 if you know anything about the suspects.
