Melissa Dymond-Demetrowitz will spend the rest of her life in prison for the 2022 murder of Shawn Patrick Armstrong. The State Attorney’s Office said she received a life sentence for first-degree murder with a firearm. She also was sentenced to 30 years for conspiracy to commit murder and another five years for tampering with or fabricating evidence. The State Attorney’s Office says her co-defendant still faces trial.
This case goes back to September 2022, when prosecutors said Dymond-Demetrowitz helped kill Armstrong in Charlotte County. After the murder, Armstrong’s body was dumped in a wooded area in Lee County, making it even harder for authorities to find.
Court records show both Dymond-Demetrowitz and Andrew Smith were indicted last year on several charges: first-degree murder with a firearm, conspiracy to commit murder, and tampering with evidence. In April, Dymond-Demetrowitz pleaded guilty to all three counts. Her penalty phase trial, held without a jury, wrapped up in May.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation, with the assistance from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Punta Gorda Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office.
