A knock on a Florida man’s door led police to a horrifying discovery: three people had been fatally stabbed.
The Arrest
Austin Fisher, 30, has been charged with the murders of 27-year-old Savannah Barber, 49-year-old Edwin Barber, and 37-year-old Shad Cole, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced on Friday. Fisher was arrested and taken into custody this week.
Discovery of the Victims
On Thursday, a man called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to report that someone was knocking on his front door. When patrol officers arrived, they found 49-year-old Edwin Barber on the porch with a stab wound to his chest. Investigators learned that Barber had been stabbed at his home and ran to his neighbor’s house for help.
Officers then went to Barber’s residence and found Savannah Barber inside a bedroom with multiple stab wounds. Deputies also discovered Shad Cole with multiple stab wounds on the porch of another house.
Savannah Barber and Cole were pronounced dead at the scene. Edwin Barber was taken to a hospital but later died from his injuries.
Family Reaction
Amy Barber, Savannah’s mother and Edwin’s wife, told local CBS affiliate WJAX that none of the victims deserved such a fate. She said the argument may have started over $600 that was allegedly missing.
Amy claimed Fisher lived in the back shed of her husband’s property and waited until everyone was asleep before attacking them. “After he did what he did, Savannah was still alive. He went back and he would not leave any witnesses,” she said.
She also alleged that Fisher paid someone $100 to call an Uber for him and reportedly told the driver what he had done.
Investigation
The sheriff’s office did not provide an official motive for the stabbings. However, deputies said that, with help from community residents, they identified Fisher as a suspect and learned he was hiding at a nearby motel.
Fisher is now behind bars without bond.
