Hillsborough deputies arrest man accused of fatally stabbing his mother in Brandon
Hillsborough County deputies on Tuesday arrested a man accused of fatally stabbing his mother in Brandon a day earlier.
Deputies arrested John Aylor, 37, about 4 a.m. on the 900 block of Marjorie Avenue in Brandon after a citizen called to report his possible whereabouts, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Aylor was arrested on charges of first-degree murder while engaged in burglary and armed burglary with assault and battery in connection to the death of Julie Aylor, 64.
Deputies responded about 4:40 a.m. Monday to a 911 caller who said a woman had been stabbed at a home on the 4100 block of Silvercrest Lane. Julie Aylor was pronounced dead after deputies arrived.
Sheriff Chad Chronister provided more details about the case at a news conference in Ybor City on Tuesday.
John Aylor, who has a lengthy arrest history in Hillsborough, mainly for drug and property crimes, is addicted to drugs and has previously broken into his mother’s home and stolen things, Chronister said. Meanwhile, Julie Aylor took care of John Aylor’s daughter, who is 10, Chronister said.
“She’s been the person who his daughter can rely on as her guardian, as the person who makes sure that she has the basic essentials in life,” Chronister said.
On Monday morning, John Aylor crawled through a dog door, armed himself with a knife and went to his mother’s bedroom, where investigators believe the mother and son began to argue “over what he could steal,” Chronister said.
Aylor then stabbed his mother once in the chest, according to Chronister.
Aylor’s daughter and a teenager who were home at the time were awakened by Julie Aylor’s screams. They told deputies they heard Julie Aylor pleading with her son to help her, Chronister said. Julie Aylor then crawled to the teenager’s bedroom and asked the teen to call 911.
Aylor is a transient who couch-surfed or stayed in homeless encampments, so deputies searched encampments along the Alafia River for him and found his cellphone, Chronister said. The break in the hunt came Tuesday, when someone called saying they saw a news story about the search for Aylor and had just seen him at a home on Marjorie Avenue, where he was ultimately arrested. The home is about a half-mile north of Aylor’s mother’s home.
The sheriff’s office released a short body camera video showing his arrest.
Chronister noted that he doesn’t hold a news conference for every homicide his office investigates, but said he felt compelled to speak about the Aylor case because it’s the 14th family-related homicide in his jurisdiction this year. In all of 2023, there were 16 such cases, Chronister said.
The sheriff said family violence is often a “silent crime,” and he urged anyone who may be a victim to seek help.
“We are so fortunate that we live in a community where help is available, phenomenal resources like the Spring of Tampa Bay, but the only way that we’re going to stop family violence is if you have the courage to say enough is enough and you ask for help,” Chronister said. “That’s my plea today.”
Times staff writer Chris Tisch contributed to this report.
