Last Updated: 9:03 a.m.
The man police agencies across the state had been placed on alert for following a murder in St. Petersburg this morning was found and arrested in the parking lot of the bowling alley on Old Kings Road in Palm Coast at dawn.
Darryl Warren, 46, is charged with first-degree murder of his wife, Barbara Warren, 57. She was found bludgeoned to death at the couple’s home on Melrose Avenue in St. Petersburg at 1:54 a.m. today. A neighbor called police to report a domestic dispute. Warren then fled and was last seen driving a blue Chevy Cavalier less than an hour after his wife was found.
St. Petersburg Police tweeted at 7:27 this morning that Darryl Warren was found in Jacksonville. In fact, it was Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies who located the car shortly after receiving the BOLO (be-on-the-lookout) and Warren.
“We have apprehended Darryl Warren, that’s the same guy we’re talking about,” Paula Priester, a spokesperson for the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, said. “He was secured at 6:39.”
Warren was booked at the Flagler County jail. “The call is still active, so that’s all the sergeant was able to advise,” Priester said. “This is not our case, Pinellas is coming in to take the vehicle.”
Warren has a long prison record. In 1995, he was sentenced to 25 years for pre-meditated first-degree attempted murder, 15 years for aggravated child abuse and 10 years for vehicle theft. He was released just six months ago and was on probation.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that in 1993, “police told the Times that Warren stabbed a woman 14 times in the chest and back, then stabbed the woman’s 10-year-old son once during a confrontation. The woman told police that she had told Warren, her former boyfriend, to move out, and he attacked her with a knife, according to a Times story from 1993.”
Linda says
Why was he ever released?
markingthedays says
Wow, talk about someone who should stay in jail.
heidi says
2 things..why would you want to be married to a person with this kind of record and why was he ever released from prison?
Nancy N says
He was released because his sentence was up. 25 years is pretty standard for attempted murder in Florida. At least this time he’ll be going away for life.
Alf says
1995 + 25 = 2020. His sentence of 25 years was not up. He was allowed early release.
Nancy N says
In Florida inmates only have to serve 85% of their sentence, by law, if they behave themselves behind bars to earn good behavior credits (which there is a standard system for earning). If you calculate back to the date of his arrest after the crime two years prior to his sentencing (since its standard to grant jail credit at sentencing), he had served his 85% of the 25 years.
Nobody made a judgement call about whether to let this guy out. The way the Florida system works, he had done his time and it was his time for release.
And before you start ranting about our lenient justice system…in most other states he would have served far less most likely.
Jason W says
Great job to the officers of FCSO!! Thank you for what you do to protect and serve.
Seminole Pride says
In Florida you will normally get release after serving 85 % of your sentence. Therefore he went to prison in1995, and only had to serve 21 years, and probably had a couple years reduced for good behavior and / or time served. It’s a good system..
Nancy N says
There is no way under state law to get out before 85% – the 85% release is a good behavior release. At sentencing, he would have received jail credit back to the date of his arrest which makes it look like he spent less time locked up than he really did, since his offense/arrest was two years before sentencing.
Seminole Pride says
Most States release prisoners after serving only 65 % of their sentence !
Outsider says
The death penalty would have saved this woman’s life.
Nancy N says
Attempted first degree murder is not a death penalty offense in Florida.
A life sentence however is an option.
Outsider says
I missed the “attempted” part in my first read. It is ridiculous that the only difference is that the victim happened to survive.
Anonymous says
That’s a small trivial detail huh? Weather or not the victim died. ..
Anonymous says
In this case it is a trivial detail; he stabbed her 14 times. I would say it’s safe to assume he intended to kill her, since one carefully placed stab wound is fatal. He tried to kill her 14 times. What is your point? Are you saying he’s a Boy Scout?
Outsider says
Yes it is. I say he tried to kill her 14 times; it was only pure luck and/or the will of God she didn’t die, depending on your beliefs. Regardless, he is no Boy Scout, he is a cold blooded killer and should be executed as soon as possible after he’s found guilty.
Anonymous says
I know this lady
Michael Van Buren says
To my brothers and sisters working dayshift yesterday, my hat’s off to you! Great job getting this threat off the street! Thank you !
Michael says
This guy is a burden on the system, he will never reform and will continue to be a POS. 3 basic meals a day and water is all any prisoner needs, make prison some place they do not want to be and maybe these repeat offenders will clean up. Take away TV and bring back work camps, they should have to work, and work really hard. Punishment in our country has become a system with no teeth, they go to a prison and they do not reform, they get out and kill again, just not working.
Nancy N says
Wow, you know nothing about inmate conditions at FL DOC. The organization is currently being investigated for both its guards and its medical care killing people…how on earth could you think that is a place that anyone could want to be?
“Bring back work camps.” – I’m not sure where you think they went but work camps are alive and well in the FL DOC. There are two of them within 30 minutes of Palm Coast, and inmates from Tomoka Work Camp in Daytona Beach regularly work within the city of Palm Coast doing maintenance on our canals, among other things, for the city. ALL inmates at FL DOC are required to have a job and work unless they are excused for medical reasons. Inmates provide labor for all the critical day to day functions of DOC camps: food service, laundry, janitorial, grounds. They also, via the work camps, provide contracted labor to other government entities like the DOT and local governments. Inmates do not earn a dime for any of this work I described. DOC also runs several prison industries that do things like produce license plates for the state.
“TV” in FL DOC is 13″ black and white units that are donated (one per each unit of approximately 70 men) and which are run off of aerials – no cable – and which are only allowed to be on for a few hours a day, with guards controlling the channel.
The problem with attitudes like yours is that you assume that people like this guy are making rational decisions based on pros and cons, like you do. He doesn’t. A rational person does not get locked up for almost killing someone for over 20 years (even if it were luxury, which it is definitely not, prison is still PRISON) and then come out and do it again almost immediately. Some people just cannot be fixed, no matter what you do to them. That is why we have life sentences.
Also, there is nothing about DOC that will reform a person. There is no psychiatric help, little to no real job training, no help with life skills. DOC takes people who are broken, puts them in a traumatic environment and breaks them even more. Yeah, sure, that will reform them.
Rich says
Michael, there are currently 2,923 inmates in the Florida Department of Corrections system serving a Manslaughter Sentence and 14,593 inmates serving a Murder Sentence. That’s a total of 17,516 inmates. Given your thoughts on how every inmate who is serving a sentence for a murder will commit another murder upon their release makes me cringe at when my time is coming at the hands of one of these released inmates…
I have visited several prisons in and out of Florida for interviews with inmates. I have even interviewed inmates at the work camps in Florida. I’m not sure what sources you are relying on to shape your views on the “leniency” of the Florida DOC, but let me tell you from first hand observations, the Florida DOC is no joke! Every institution has it’s issues but the Florida DOC is very firm with the handling of it’s “clients.”
Nancy N. says
Those numbers and analysis are not entirely accurate. Yes, 2,923 inmates are serving Manslaughter convictions. And 14,593 are serving murder convictions. However, you can’t add those numbers together to make a total. Some inmates (such as the man just sentenced for the loud music gas station killing in Jacksonville), may be serving sentences for both murder and manslaughter, so they are counted in both of those tallies. Adding the numbers together double counts them.
Also, many of the manslaughter inmates are serving DUI and vehicular manslaughter sentences. These inmates are almost all considered extremely low risk to re-offend.
Once you separate those out, a large portion of the remaining group are “lifers” who are never going to see freedom again, so there is no need to be concerned about their potential to re-offend on release.