PLANTATION, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida man is behind bars and facing murder charges in the killings of his wife and 2-year-old son.
Plantation Police on Sunday confirmed the arrest of Jean Carlos Aponte.
Also on Sunday, the suspect went before Broward Circuit Court Judge Elijah Williams wearing a suicide prevention gown. The 40-year-old faces two counts of premeditated first-degree murder.
“Mr. Aponte, I do find probable cause. I reviewed the paperwork this morning, two counts of premeditated murder of two individuals,” said Williams.
Aponte’s arrest comes after 38-year-old Sara Ashley Gama and her son Ethan were found dead inside their home in Plantation on Tuesday.
Plantation Fire Rescue divers were seen looking for evidence inside of a canal behind the couple’s home.
A welfare check led police to Aponte and Gama’s residence in the Jacaranda Lakes neighborhood, near Northwest 11th Street and Ninth Avenue, where officers discovered the bodies.
Ethan was about to turn 3 in April. On Monday, 7News cameras captured flowers, messages and a “Happy Birthday” balloon placed outside of his home to honor his special day.
Video sent to 7News showed Ethan happy and laughing.
“He was a beautiful little boy, and I never heard anything,” said Gilda Howell, who knows the family. “They were – he was always outside. They played all the time; I was across the street with the kids all the time ’cause they would go back and forth. This is a very friendly – I’m sorry, I’m just so devastated.”
Aponte and Gama recently had a newborn baby. That infant is now with family.
Police said Aponte planned the murders and then attempted to take his own life.
When officers arrived at the home, they found the suspect unresponsive from a possible drug overdose.
“They took Jean out in an ambulance, but we haven’t seen Sara or Ethan. The baby’s with the grandparents,” said Howell.
“A really nice couple. Never said anything bad about Sara,” said neighbor John Goodish. “Not a sound, and I’m in the kitchen all the time.”
Aponte was taken to a local hospital. Once he recovered, he was charged with the murders.
In a Facebook post from December, a pregnant Gama wrote, “The best presents I could ask for.”
Friends of the couple said they seemed happy.
“How does this happen? What happened?” said Howell.
In court Sunday, the suspect was denied bond and was ordered to get a mental health screening.
The manner of death in which Aponte killed his wife and child has not been confirmed.
Aponte remains at the Broward County Jail on a no-bond hold.
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