DAVENPORT, FL — More than four years after three electricians were brutally killed at a Davenport rental home, the man accused of carrying out the attack has been found guilty.
Shaun Runyon, 44, of Pennsylvania, was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder in connection with the Oct. 2, 2021 attack, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Runyon and several co-workers were temporarily staying at a Davenport home rented by their employer, Pennsylvania-based J & B Electric, Inc., while working in Florida.
Authorities said the violence followed an argument between Runyon and his supervisor at a job site the previous day. Runyon allegedly punched his supervisor and fled before later returning to the rental home.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Runyon attacked his co-workers with a knife and baseball bat. One victim was killed while sleeping, another was attacked on the front porch, and a third was chased into the street and beaten. Three co-workers ultimately died.
Another man was also attacked but survived. A separate co-worker, his wife and their 7-year-old daughter escaped the home unharmed.
Following the killings, investigators said Runyon fled and later showed up at the home of a Lake Wales couple he did not know while wearing bloody clothing. He allegedly told the couple he had been raped. The couple encouraged him to seek medical treatment, and Runyon was later taken into custody at a hospital.
With Runyon now convicted, the case will move into the penalty phase. Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 16, a jury will determine whether to recommend that Runyon receive the death penalty. His sentencing remains pending. Nothing further.
SOURCE: POLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
