True crime cases in Florida span decades of criminal history, from unsolved disappearances in rural communities to high-profile investigations in the state's largest cities. Florida law enforcement agencies, from local police departments to the state bureau of investigation, have tackled cases ranging from cold-case homicides and serial offenders to fraud schemes and domestic violence tragedies. CaseSleuth tracks each Florida case with comprehensive timelines, profiles of victims and persons of interest, evidence summaries, and links to media coverage and court documents. Browse the cases below to explore the full scope of criminal investigations in Florida.
7 cases found
On February 14, 2018, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and wounding 17 others. It was one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history and sparked a nationwide gun control movement.
On February 26, 2012, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was fatally shot by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder but was acquitted by a jury on July 13, 2013, after claiming self-defense. The case sparked nationwide protests, intensified debates over racial profiling and stand-your-ground laws, and is widely credited with catalyzing the Black Lives Matter movement.
In 2009, Dalia Dippolito was caught on hidden camera hiring an undercover officer to murder her husband Mike Dippolito in Boynton Beach, Florida. Police staged a fake crime scene. After two mistrials, she was convicted in 2017.
Five-year-old Haleigh Cummings disappeared from her Satsuma, Florida home on February 10, 2009, while in the care of her father's teenage girlfriend Misty Croslin. Despite an extensive investigation, Haleigh has never been found and no one has been charged with her disappearance or death, which police consider a likely homicide.
Casey Marie Anthony was charged with first-degree murder in the 2008 death of her two-year-old daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony, in Orlando, Florida. The child was last seen on June 16, 2008, and was not reported missing for 31 days. On July 5, 2011, a jury acquitted Anthony of murder, aggravated manslaughter, and aggravated child abuse, but convicted her on four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to law enforcement. The verdict was widely regarded as one of the most controversial in modern American criminal justice. Two of the four misdemeanor convictions were later overturned on appeal in January 2013.
Aileen Carol Wuornos was an American serial killer who murdered seven men along Florida highways between late 1989 and late 1990 while working as a sex worker. Initially claiming self-defense, she was convicted of six murders, sentenced to death, and executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. Her story was depicted in the Academy Award-winning 2003 film Monster, starring Charlize Theron.
Theodore Robert Bundy (1946-1989) was an American serial killer who kidnapped, raped, and murdered at least 30 young women across multiple states between 1974 and 1978. Exploiting his charm and intelligence, Bundy evaded capture for years, escaped custody twice, and was ultimately convicted and executed by electric chair in Florida in 1989. His trial was the first to be nationally televised in the United States.