OKEECHOBEE -- As the woman stood in the doorway to the small bathroom she screamed to Mark Glen Deschamps: “You just killed me!”

A couple of minutes later, her life was over.

As Deschamps was allegedly stabbing Flavia Leticia Escobar Munoz, 23, to death, another man was in that same small bathroom Monday morning trying to clean his facial wounds from where he had just been stabbed.



Detectives say Duane Ford Thomas, 40, will live but his injuries were extensive. The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) investigators detailed how Deschamps reportedly plunged a 10-to-12-inch hunting knife into the right side of the man’s face.

That blade broke the man’s orbital bone under his right eye, his nose and came out the left side of Thomas’ face leaving a laceration of nearly 3 inches in his cheek.

When it was all over, OCSO Detective Howard Pickering said that small bathroom in the Playland Park home was covered in blood.

“It looked like a slaughterhouse,” he said.

Deschamps, 47, was arrested Oct. 24 on felony charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine).

Deschamps, who has 30 felony arrests with 15 convictions, is being held in the Okeechobee County Jail without bond.

Detective Pickering indicated things got out of hand in the three-bedroom, two bath concrete block home in Playland Park not long after Deschamps awoke shortly after 3 a.m.

“He woke up in a delusional state of mind,” offered the detective.

By 3:30 a.m. Munoz was lying in the driveway of the home on N.W. 45th Terrace and Deschamps was calling 9-1-1 and telling the dispatcher the woman was dead, said OCSO Detective Corporal Ted Van Deman, who is also working the case.

When Deschamps awoke early Monday he went into the living room and accused Munoz and Thomas of stealing from him and also accused them being in a relationship. He then took the man and woman into his bedroom, that he often shared with Munoz, and showed them what he claimed was a surveillance video of them stealing from him.

Deschamps, pointed out Detective Van Deman, was actually renting the bedroom from Thomas. The home, he continued, is owned by Thomas’ family.

“When shown the tape, both victims saw no one on the tape. Yet, the suspect saw what he thought was the two victims stealing from him,” stated Detective Pickering’s arrest report.

Thomas then felt a blow to the face and thought Deschamps had punched him. Actually, said the detectives, he had been stabbed.

As blood began to pour from the wounds to Thomas’ face, Deschamps helped him to the bathroom.

As Thomas was trying to clean the blood from his face, Munoz was standing in the doorway of the bathroom.

“He was telling her to get away from him,” said Detective Pickering, adding that Thomas feared Deschamps would again stab him.

As she stood there, Deschamps allegedly stabbed her once in the right-center of her chest.

Detective Pickering said she walked out of the home and died in the driveway.

“We believe she died within minutes of being stabbed,” said Cpl. Van Deman.

Her autopsy was to be done Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 25.

Thomas was initially taken to Raulerson Hospital, but has since been transferred to a hospital on the east coast.

“We believe the murder was done out of perceived jealousy,” said Cpl. Van Deman, when asked about a motive. “He (Deschamps) was seeing things and believing things that weren’t true. According to what we know, he was up for several days prior to this.

“We believe he was not in his right mind due to the drugs,” he added.

OCSO investigators executed a search warrant on the home Monday afternoon. During that search they found a residue in the bedroom occupied by Deschamps, as well as some syringes.

The residue, pointed out the detectives, was tested and indicated a positive result for the presence of methamphetamine. That, along with the syringes, will be sent to the Indian River Crime Lab for further analysis.

During that search a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun was found in the home that reportedly belonged to Deschamps. Because he is a convicted felon Deschamps is not allowed to have a gun in his possession.

A records check shows that Deschamps was sent to prison March 17, 2013, after being found guilty on felony charges of driving while license suspended and driving under the influence - fourth conviction.

He was released from the Department of Corrections (DOC) July 28, 2014.

Besides the felony arrests and convictions, Detective Pickering also stated in his report that Deschamps has 16 misdemeanor arrests with five convictions.