Man Accused In Double Stabbing Captured By Trooper

DAVENPORT, FL — A 46-year-old man named as a suspect in the Wednesday morning stabbing death of his own aunt has been hospitalized after being brought into custody by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper.

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the search for Pedro Vega Jr. began shortly after 12:30 a.m. Aug. 30 when deputies responded to a disturbance call in the 1600 block of Davenport Boulevard. Once there, they were told Vega had broken into the home of his estranged wife, Amanda Stokes. During the incident, Caine Espinoza, who was at Stokes’ home at the time, fired shots at Vega Jr., the sheriff’s office wrote in an email to media.

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While talking with Stokes and Espinoza, deputies learned Vega Jr.’s family lives next door to Stokes’ home.

“Deputies followed a blood trail and found an open window and unsecured front door,” the email noted.

While checking out the home, Pedro Vega Sr., 70, was found with his hands and feet bound with tape. Deputies say Vega Sr. had been stabbed multiple times, but was able to tell them his attacker was his own son, the email said. He also told them his son stole his 1999 Dodge pickup truck.

Rosa Iris Vega, 59, was also found dead inside the home, “likely the result of stab wounds,” the email noted. She is Vega Jr.’s aunt, the agency noted.

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The discoveries within the Vega home led to a manhunt for Pedro Vega Jr. The sheriff’s office reported shortly before 9 a.m. that a trooper spotted the Dodge pickup on the 429 toll road and pulled it over. Vega Jr. was taken into custody without incident, the sheriff’s office reported.

He was taken to a hospital “where he is being treated for wounds likely sustained from this morning’s homicide,” the agency’s email noted.

Pedro Vega Sr. was also taken to a local hospital for treatment of stab wounds. Authorities say he was last listed in stable condition and is expected to survive his injuries.

No further information is available at this time.

Photo of Pedro Vega Jr. courtesy of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office