Jacksonville, FL – A Duval County judge has found Samijo Hemans guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of his wife, Catherine, following a bench trial, State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced.
Judge Anthony Salem delivered the verdict, ruling that Hemans, 33, is guilty in the 2021 attack that left his wife dead inside their Old Kings Road apartment. He now faces up to life in Florida State Prison. Sentencing will take place at a later date.
It came out in court that he killed her because she performed voodoo on him.
According to investigators, on May 20, 2021, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers responded to the couple’s apartment and found Catherine Hemans deceased on the living room floor with severe head trauma. Hemans admitted at the scene that he struck her with a metal pipe.
Post-Miranda, Hemans told detectives he arrived home before his wife and their baby, and when she later walked toward her bedroom, he struck her in the back of the head with the pipe. A struggle followed before he regained control of the weapon and continued the assault. He told officers the crime was not the result of an argument but claimed he acted because he believed she had practiced “voodoo” on him.
The case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Kelli Shobe and Erin Wolfson.
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Key Points
- Samijo Hemans, 33, was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2021 killing of his wife, Catherine.
- Investigators said Hemans struck her multiple times with a metal pipe inside their Jacksonville apartment.
- He faces up to life in Florida State Prison, with sentencing to be scheduled.
A violent act inside a home will now be punished inside a courtroom.