Man charged with killing wife, son on boy's 11th birthday

LAKE MARY, Fla. — A man was charged with fatally stabbing his wife and son on the boy’s 11th birthday, authorities said Saturday.

Nico Duzant ran from his home while his father, Franklyn Duzant, 40, chased him to a neighbor’s front yard Friday, said Seminole County Sheriff’s Lt. Dennis Lemma. The father repeatedly stabbed the boy with a “samurai style sword,” Lemma said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities responding to the home found the body of the man’s wife, Evangeline Duzant, 52, who also was killed with the sword, Lemma said.

A motive for the attacks was not known. The boy was nearly decapitated and his mother was later found decapitated, authorities said.

“It was just an absolute gruesome scene,” Lemma said. “We’re trying to repaint the picture of what led up to this.”

Franklyn Duzant underwent surgery at Orlando Regional Medical Center for injuries to his stomach, Lemma said. He was in stable condition Saturday.

“At this point, we don’t know how the suspect got these injuries,” Lemma said. “We don’t know if they were self-inflicted or if there was a struggle.”

Duzant has been charged with two counts of first degree premeditated murder. Investigators have not had a chance to talk with him because he has been sedated, Lemma said.

“This was a normal family living in a community where they walked their dog and their child played with other children,” Lemma said. “This is a situation that has devastated the entire community.”

Duzant was taken into custody by deputies after a standoff in 2003 where he threatened to kill himself at a local park. He was admitted for a psychiatric evaluation, Lemma said.

It was not believed that Duzant had a previous criminal record, Lemma said.