PALM BAY, Fla. — A repeat offender from Florida is accused of killing a man after getting out of jail early.
The Palm Bay Police Department said on Thursday that a 69-year-old man was killed in his home. WESH got a statement from the police that said Justin Giambanco was connected to the case because his phone was found at the scene of the crime.
The victim’s hands were tied behind his back, and he had a cut on his neck from a knife. There were signs of a fight with a gun, and a kitchen knife was found nearby.
Investigators said they found shoes in Giambanco’s car that had blood on them. They said that the tread on Giambanco’s shoes matched blood tracks at the murder scene.
WESH said that Giambanco was already in the Brevard County Jail for a theft charge unrelated to the second-degree murder charge when he was nabbed.
Investigators said that after the killings, Giambanco broke into a house.
“This 31-year-old suspect is the worst kind of bad. “He is a violent repeat offender who preyed on the people of Brevard County while out on bond for a previous arrest,” said Palm Bay Police Chief Mario Augello.
Augello told reporters that he was upset that Giambanco was let go after committing multiple crimes, including reportedly hitting a police officer.
WESH reports that Giambanco has been in and out of the system for many years.
He went to prison for two years because he broke into a house and hurt someone badly. He was sentenced to more than four years in prison for breaking his parole several times, but he was freed after less than half of that time.
“This murder could have been stopped if Giambanco had served all 53 months of his sentence back in April 2021,” said Augello. “The case’s suspect is another sign that our current criminal justice system isn’t doing enough to keep our community safe.”
Augello said that Giambanco had been charged with 22 felonies and 24 misdemeanors.
The person who was killed hasn’t been named.
