ORLANDO, Fla. — Loved ones are remembering an Orlando mother who fell victim to domestic violence as the state sees a rising number of these cases.

What You Need To Know

Domestic violence rose 1.4% from 2019 to 2020, according to newly-released data from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Last year, law enforcement across Central Florida recorded nearly 107,000 domestic violence offenses.

Behind every number is a story. This year, one of those stories involves Capucine Carson, 37, and her 3-year-old daughter Kimbella.

Capucine, a wife and mother to six children, moved to Orlando a few years ago from Alabama. 

“She was a beautiful spirit, a beautiful person,” said her cousin Saphronia Smith. “She impacted a lot of lives.”

Family members say her husband, Toffara Snow, 37, had a history of abuse. Smith was blindsided: “I wish that I could have said something if I had known, but I didn’t.”

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office had responded to the family’s apartment last July in reference to a battery. Capucine told the deputy Snow punched her in the face and that she was going to move out, according to the incident report. She chose not to complete a statement.

Almost a year later, on June 6, Snow shot Capucine and Kimbella outside their apartment on Wellesley Lake Drive, according to an arrest warrant from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Capucine had been trying to drive away with her daughter. But she was killed during the incident.

Kimbella was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and family members say she is now recovering at home with her biological father.

Snow confessed to shooting Capucine 10 times and to shooting Kimbella, according to the arrest affidavit. The following night, he shot himself at a Big Lots store down the road from the apartment after deputies tried to make contact with him, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. He later died.

 

 

“Every weekend, there is someone who is being held captive in their home,” explained Michelle Sperzel, the CEO of Harbor House of Central Florida. The nonprofit offers help for people experiencing abuse. 

“If someone’s going to be reaching out and they’re working with a certified domestic violence provider, the likelihood of that becoming a lethal situation and them dying is reduced significantly,” said Sperzel. 

Harbor House has an emergency shelter, injunction for protection attorneys and advocates who can help put together safety plans, among other services. Their 24/7 emergency hotline, which is also text-enabled, is 407-886-2856.

Sperzel says the number one reason someone stays in a domestic violence situation is because they cannot afford to leave. 

“If you’re looking at: how do you pay for rent, how do you pay for utilities, how do you take care of the kids, how do you get the kids from one school to another — there’s all these additional layers that go on top of that,” she explained.

Smith hopes people experiencing domestic violence seek help to get out.

“It’s not that easy to get out,” she said. “So if you have a free way to get out, go. Run and don’t look back. But if you don’t have a free way to go, then you need to seek some kind of help in secret before something like this happens.”