Lake Wales man charged in November stabbing death of teen at Winter Haven Publix
Winter Haven Police detectives arrested Teville Xavier Burgess, 19, following a brief chase on Thursday, the agency said in a news release. He faces a first-degree felony charge of manslaughter.
A Lake Wales man has been charged with manslaughter in the November stabbing death of a 16-year-old at a Publix store in Winter Haven.
As of Friday afternoon, Burgess was being held in Polk County Jail and had not had a first court appearance.
Burgess initially told detectives that he was jumped by unknown subjects inside the store, resulting in the stabbing of the 16-year-old. But evidence from the scene, including witness statements and video footage, contradicted Burgess' claims, WHPD reported.
"The non-stop commitment of our detectives to find closure for the victim's family shows how dedicated they are to finding the truth," Winter Haven Police Chief David Brannan said in the news release. "We can't always take cases at face value because there can be elements that are overlooked. As in this case, the truth was in the many details that were uncovered."
The incident occurred Nov. 9 at the Publix in the Northgate Shopping Center, 1385 Sixth St. NW. Winter Haven police have not released the name or gender of the victim, citing a state law that exempts names of crime victims from public disclosure.
The investigation found that two vehicles with five occupants were involved in an incident in the Publix parking lot, the arrest affidavit said.
Burgess entered the Publix and bought a can of soup before grabbing and carrying a frying pan. He returned that item and picked up a paring knife with a 3½-inch blade, though the can did not require a knife to be opened, the release said.
As Burgess was paying for the knife, he removed it from its packaging and placed it in his right front pants pocket, the release said. Two people then approached Burgess, and he swung at the face of one with the soup can. A fight then broke out among Burgess and four or five others, the affidavit said.
As the group dispersed, Burgess chased a subject down an aisle toward the back of the store, and the person fell to the floor, the affidavit said. The victim ran toward Burgess, seeking to protect the fallen person, and Burgess turned and stabbed the victim once in the left side of the chest, the affidavit said.
The victim was driven in the white Buick to Winter Haven Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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Burgess left the store, and an officer soon found him. In subsequent interviews, Burgess said that he exchanged words in the Publix parking lot with “unknown subjects” in a vehicle and heard someone say, “Let’s jump him.” Burgess said he entered the store and attempted to call family members to ask for a ride, but he did not call 911 or ask any other customers or store employees for help.
Burgess said he did not know the others involved in the fight and was not a gang member.
Surveillance video showed a white Buick entered the Publix parking lot while Burgess was in the store, and four people left the vehicle to enter the store, including the victim, the affidavit said.
WHPD is still investigating the incident, spokesperson Jamie Brown said.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lake Wales man charged in fatal stabbing of teen during Publix fight
