HASTINGS, Florida — Editor's Note: The video above is from a previous story on Oct. 19 about the indictment of Derrek Wayne Perkins.
The State of Florida will seek the death penalty against the man accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death in Hastings last month, according to the State Attorney's Office.
Deputies with the St. John's County Sheriff's Office arrested 41-year-old Derrek Wayne Perkins for allegedly stabbing Brandi Booker to death on the night of Oct. 13, according to the sheriff's office. Perkins was arrested less than an hour after the call came on State Road 207 and Morrison Road. The arrest report said Perkins had droplets of blood on his leg at the time of his arrest.
A grand jury indicted Perkins less than 24 hours after the stabbing on Oct. 14.
According to a court document filed Wednesday seeking the death penalty against Perkins, the crime meets many of the criteria required for a death penalty case. The document stated Perkins had a prior conviction for violence in a relationship.
Court documents also said Perkins' victim had been stabbed 14 times in front of a friend and co-worker.
"He lay in wait until she arrived with her co-worker/friend and sprung from his hiding place to carry out the brutal and deadly murder," State Attorney R.J. Larizza said. "The defendant’s violent past and penchant for savagery and violence has earned him the ultimate penalty.”
Perkins remains in the St. John's County Jail without bond.