Central Florida man arrested in fatal stabbing of victim

A central Florida man has been arrested for fatally stabbing a victim who died with multiple knife wounds to his upper body.

Tampa Police arrested Eddy Caron, 57, in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 52-year-old white man on June 12 near the intersection of N. 15th Street and E. Hillsborough Avenue.

“We hope that this arrest will allow the victim’s family to turn the page,” said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw. “This successful investigation is a testament to the outstanding work of our detectives who gathered evidence, identified the suspect and quickly took him into custody.”

The victim was found dead with multiple stab wounds to the upper body.

According to local law enforcement, witness statements and video surveillance footage from a nearby convenience store played a crucial role in identifying the suspect.

A witness walking through the Wendy's parking lot said he saw the victim alive and the suspect, described as an older black man with a thin build and a white stubble beard, shortly before the attack. Another witness saw the suspect fleeing the scene on a distinctive bicycle with deer antlers attached to the handlebars.

Surveillance footage showed the suspect entering the nearby 2K convenience store, purchasing a can of beer, and then entering the fenced-in area behind the Wendy's restaurant, where the victim was later found. The suspect quickly left the scene after the attack and rode away on his bicycle.

A beer can containing the suspect's DNA was found near the crime scene, and further investigation linked the suspect to a previous trespassing incident in which his backpack and bicycle were found. Both the backpack and bicycle matched witness descriptions and surveillance footage.

Caron was arrested at his home in the 4100 block of 10th Avenue and transported to the Hillsborough County Jail and charged with first-degree murder.