JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (CBS12) — A 47-year-old Florida man is behind bars, accused of sexually battering and killing his wife weeks after she filed for divorce in January.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement was called to an apartment on Sunbeam Road, off San Jose Boulevard, on Jan. 23 to conduct a welfare check. When they entered the home, they found a woman, later identified as the suspect’s estranged wife, attacked and strangled.
The Homicide Unit launched an investigation and, using evidence collected during the case, identified 47-year-old Raymond Jackson Jr. as the suspect.
Court records show Jackson’s wife had filed a divorce petition earlier that month due to Jackson’s violent behavior. She also filed an injunction against him for stalking; however, it was denied by a judge just days before she was murdered.
See also: One killed, another airlifted after fiery crash at Indiantown intersection
Authorities say the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office took Jackson into custody just days later after he allegedly led Jacksonville and Nassau County deputies on a chase.
A grand jury indicted Jackson on May 21 on charges of murder, sexual battery and burglary with assault or battery.
Investigators say Jackson was transported from the Florida Department of Corrections to the Jacksonville jail on Monday and was formally arrested on those charges the following day.