Murders of Lisa Fuillerat and Samara Routerberg
On February 24, 2017, at around 6:30, Vincente Fuillerat, armed with a shotgun, murdered his wife, Lisa Fuillerat and her partner, Samara Routerberg. Fuillerat then wrote a suicide note (contents remain confidential) pinned it to his vest and killed himself with his own weapon. Lisa and Vicente Fuillerat were scheduled to meet in court, that same day, as they were in the process of getting divorced. Both victims were teachers at a Lake Gibson Middle School, and had been in a relationship for at least two years prior the murder.[1][2]
Date | February 24, 2017 |
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Location | Hillsborough County, Florida, US |
Type | Murder-suicide |
Convicted | No convictions as perpetrator killed himself in the crime scene. |
Victims
Lisa Fuillerat | |
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Born | Lisa Dawn Hailer 3 September 1965 Hialeah, Florida, U.S |
Died | 24 February 2017 51) Brandon, Florida, U.S | (aged
Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
Occupation | Sixth-grade Math teacher at Lake Gibson Middle School |
Spouse(s) | Vincente Fuillerat
(m. 1990; died 2017) |
Children | 2 (Michael and Amanda) |
Samara Routerberg | |
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Born | Samara L. Routerberg 27 December 1977 Harvey, Illinois, U.S |
Died | 24 February 2017 39) Brandon, Florida, U.S | (aged
Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
Occupation | Assistant Principal at Lake Gibson Middle School |
Lisa Dawn Fuillerat (née Hailer; 3 September 1965 – 24 February 2017)[3] was a math teacher. She was born in Hialeah, Florida on September 3, 1965 to Cynthia and Walter Heiler, studied in the Hialeah High School and obtained a bachelor's degree from Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. In 1990s, she met her husband, Vincent Fuillerat, with whom she had two children, Michael and Amanda. They separated in 2014 and that same year, Hailer moved into the home of a colleague, Samara Routerberg, and lived there until her death. Samara L. Routerberg (27 December 1977 – 24 February 2017) was an assistant principal and math teacher. She was born on December 27, 1977 in Harvey, Illinois to David and Kerri Routenberg. In 2010, she received a Magna Cum Laude master's degree at Nova University. She started to work in 2001 as a math teacher and soon after she worked in the Florida Department of Education. Later on, she got a job as assistant principal at Lake Gibson Middle School in Lakeland, Florida, where she worked until her death.[4]
Perpetrator
Vincente "Vince" Fuillerat (c. 1964/1965 – February 24, 2017) was an electronic security consultant. He was born sometime in 1964 or 1965, to Vincente Fuillerat Sr. and an unknown mother. Little is known about his life except that he married Lisa Heiler in the late 1980s or early 1990s, and had two children with her.
Events prior to the murder
In 2014, Lisa Fuillerat moved from her family home to Samara Routerberg's home located on Hickory Creek Drive in Brandon, Florida, a community close to Tampa. During that period, they began a hidden relationship. Contemporarily, Fuilerat began divorce proceedings against her husband, but he declined to sign the proper documents or accept a formal divorce.
On October 2, 2015, Vincente Fuillerat entered Routerberg's home from the garage door. When Routerberg noticed his presence, she confronted him, and expelled him. Fuillerat left, but returned carrying an "unknown blunt object". He struck Routenberg's face several times, and slammed her head against the pavement.
Fuillerat was arrested and charged with aggravated battery and burglary. Because he did not have previous charges in Florida, he was sentenced to 36 months in probation and had to pay $6,040 (equivalent to $6,573.98 as of 2020)[5] for Routerberg's medical bills. Three days later, Routerberg signed an order of restriction.
On October 21, 2015, Lisa Fuillerat filed for a dissolution of marriage in Polk County. However, due to his opposition, the divorce process extended at least one and a half years more. During that time she and Routerberg acquired two pistols and began to practice at local shooting ranges.
Murder
On February 24, 2017, at around 6:30 as seen in the Routerberg vigilance cameras, Vincent Fuillerat broke into the couple's house wearing a bulletproof vest and armed with a shotgun. Both Hailer and Routerberg noticed the entrance of the suspect, as alarms began to ring shortly after Fuillerat entered the premises. The Fuillerats and Routerberg began shooting for an undetermined period of time. The two women managed to wound Vincente Fuillerat several times, but were ultimately killed. Vincente Fuillerat then wrote a suicide note and killed himself.
Aftermath
Next day, the three corpses were discovered, and as the letter depicted, Fuillerat's motives for killing were mainly jealousy and impotence. According to Fuillerat's attorney, Ralph Fernandez, in an interview with the New York Post – "He felt the relation was immoral; He called it a lot worse than that. He said, "I can't compete with that"."[6]
Media
The case was featured in the Investigation Discovery series, Forbidden: Dying for Love, in the third season in a chapter named "The Sum of Love", in which, Lisa Fuillerat is portrayed by Michelle D'Alessandro Hatt, and Vincente is portrayed by Scott Patrick McLaren.[7]
References
- DiNatale, Sara (April 17, 2018). "Murders of teachers Lisa Fuillerat and Samara Routenberg in Hillsborough to be on Investigation Discovery". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Husband accused in double murder-suicide was angry wife left him for a woman, lawyer says". National Post. February 28, 2017. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Lisa FUILLERAT Obituary - Lakeland, FL | Tampa Bay Times". Legacy.com.
- "Samara Routenberg Obituary - Tampa, FL | Sun-Sentinel". Legacy.com.
- "$6,040 in 2015 → 2020 | Inflation Calculator". www.in2013dollars.com.
- Miller, Joshua Rhett (2017-02-28). "Double murder-suicide sparked by lesbian cuckolding husband". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
- ""Forbidden: Dying for Love" The Sum of Love (TV Episode 2018) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.