A late-night knock on a Jacksonville door led deputies to a series of fatal stabbings that left three people dead and a suspect in custody days later, according to authorities.
JACKSONVILLE, FL – A man seeking help after being stabbed collapsed on a neighbor’s porch, setting off a chain of discoveries that revealed three homicide victims in a residential area on Exodus Way, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Friday. Austin Fisher, 30, has been charged in the deaths of 27-year-old Savannah Barber, 49-year-old Edwin Barber, and 37-year-old Shad Cole.
Deputies said the case began Thursday when a resident called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Communications Center and reported that “a man was knocking on his front door.” Responding officers arrived to find Edwin Barber on the porch suffering from a stab wound.
“They found 49-year-old Edwin Barber on the front porch with a stab wound to his chest,” the sheriff’s office said. “We learned Barber had been stabbed at his home down the street and ran to his neighbor’s house for help.”
Victims found at multiple locations
As officers traced the incident back to Barber’s residence, they uncovered additional victims. Inside the home, deputies located Savannah Barber in a bedroom.
“They found Savannah Barber inside a bedroom with multiple stab wounds,” the sheriff’s office said.
While canvassing the surrounding area, deputies found a third victim nearby.
“Deputies located Cole with multiple stab wounds on the porch of another house,” the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities said Savannah Barber and Shad Cole were pronounced dead before they could receive medical attention. Edwin Barber was transported to a hospital but later died from his injuries.
Family describes alleged events
Amy Barber, Savannah Barber’s mother and Edwin Barber’s wife, told local television station WJAX that she had been informed of a possible dispute preceding the violence.
“She did not deserve this, or my husband, or even Shad, any of them,” she said. “I was told that the original argument started over $600 that was supposedly missing.”
She also described what she was told about the sequence of events inside the home.
“After he did what he did, Savannah was still alive,” Amy Barber said. “He went back and he would not leave no witnesses. That’s why he killed her because he didn’t want no witnesses left.”
Amy Barber further alleged that Fisher fled the scene with outside assistance.
“She also reportedly said she learned Fisher waited until everyone was sleep to stab them,” and that he later “paid somebody $100 to call Uber for him and told that person what he’d did. Told the Uber driver what he did.”
Suspect located at nearby motel
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said investigators, working with information from community members, identified Fisher as a suspect and tracked him to a nearby motel where he was taken into custody this week.
Officials have not released a confirmed motive for the killings.
Fisher is currently being held without bond, according to deputies.