- December 4, 2025
The Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office is seeking the death penalty for the suspect who killed an off-duty Edgewater police officer in September.
A Volusia County Grand Jury has indicted the suspect, Eduardo Labrada Machado, 24, on a first-degree murder charge.
Two other men who were arrested in unrelated cases. One of those two men is Stevens Charles, the suspect who was fleeing Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies when he crashed his car head-first into the car of an 71-year-old Ormond Beach woman.
The second was Brian Whittaker, who is accused of shooting his neighbor multiple times outside of his Deltona condo unit on Sept. 29. The victim died from his injuries at the scene.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza announced the grand jury’s indictments in a press conference on Oct. 6.
EDGEWATER OFFICER KILLING ‘DESERVES THE ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT’
Off-duty Edgewater police officer David Jewell, 45, was killed on Sept. 15 after Machado shot Jewell multiple times in the head at the Circle K gas station at 2460 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond-by-the-Sea.
Larizza said there were 24 shell casings at the scene. The medical examiner, he said, said there were at least 20 gunshot wounds but “he couldn’t tell for sure because there were so many.”
Larizza said this case was “bizarre and disturbing.”
“I tell you, I've been in this business since 1980 and I've seen things that curl my hair. And then I say, well, I don't know if there's anything that can top that,” Larizza said. “But unfortunately, it seems to have happened again, and this is one of those cases.”
In surveillance footage, Machado, an employee at the gas station, is seen walking out of the store after Jewell walked into the store, going to his car and returning to shoot Jewell in the head multiple times.
The gun used to kill Jewell was purchased several days prior but then waited to pick it up just over two hours before Jewell was shot.
Previous reporting by the Observer said family members of Machado said the 24-year-old had mental health issues. When asked by a reporter if Machado had any mental health problems, Larizza said that so far nothing in the investigation indicates any mental health issues.
“It’s unclear what, if any, motive there actually was,” Larizza said. “But it’s very clear that this was premeditated and it’s very clear that this case deserves the ultimate punishment.”
Larizza said the intent to seek the death penalty was filed on Oct. 6.
SUSPECT IN FATAL WRONG-WAY CRASH INDICTED BY GRAND JURY
The larceny suspect driving a car that fled from Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Sept. 16 is also facing a first-degree murder charge for the death of 71-year-old Julia Wagner, an Ormond Beach resident.
“If he would have stopped and surrendered to law enforcement – that's all they had to do – he wouldn't be facing first degree felony murder charges,” Larizza said.
Larizza said Wagner was on her way home from a volunteer shift at a hospital when she was hit by Charles’ car.
“Imagine this, coming off the interstate, you get ready to go home, and all of a sudden, here comes this suburban coming up the wrong way on that exit ramp,” Larizza said. “She just didn't have a chance, God bless her.”
Charles drove his car the wrong way up an Interstate 95 off-ramp on Highway U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach while fleeing FCSO deputies at speeds “of up to 110 mph,” a SAO press release said.
Charles is facing multiple charges: first-degree felony murder, vehicular homicide, fleeing or attempting to elude siren and lights activated with high speed/reckless driving causing serious injury or death, aggravated fleeing with serious injury or death and leaving the scene of a crash with death.
