LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A Circuit Court judge has put on hold the trial of a woman indicted in the ambush attack on three Lake County sheriff’s deputies, ruling she is incompetent to go through that legal proceeding now, according to the state attorney’s office in Tavares.
In August, Julie Sulpizio was charged with first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, attempted first degree murder of a law enforcement officer and conspiracy to commit murder, and battery.
The Department of Children and Families was ordered to transfer her to a state treatment facility. She will be returned to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction, and the trial will proceed after the medical facility deems that her competency has been restored, the sheriff’s office said.
An order by Judge Brian Welke of the 5th Circuit Court said Sulpizio is in imminent danger of harm to herself or others and could neglect to care for herself.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Sulpizio allegedly lured three sheriff’s deputies into her home, where authorities say that Sulpizio’s husband and two daughters opened fire. Later, it was discovered that the husband and two daughters fatally shot themselves.
Master Deputy Bradley Link was killed in the attack, and deputies Stefano Gargano and Harold Howell were injured when they responded to a disturbance at a home in Eustis on Aug. 2.