ORLANDO, FL – A woman seeking to leave an unhappy marriage was fatally shot allegedly by her husband, who had resisted signing divorce papers, authorities said.
Lamar Bryant, 41, faces charges of first-degree premeditated murder following the death of his 42-year-old wife, Takeshia Eads, Tuesday at their Orlando residence. Eads’ family has requested she be referred to by her maiden name, Takeshia Eads, in remembrance.
The couple’s daughter provided a detailed account of the tragic events, which transpired after Bryant picked her up from school, appearing intoxicated. He reportedly made a stop at a liquor store to purchase a bottle of alcohol, from which he drank as he drove to a storage unit allegedly used to store narcotics and firearms.
Once at the storage unit, Bryant retrieved two firearms and placed them in the car, shocking his daughter, who recognized them as two Glock handguns. The affidavit detailed this unsettling sequence of events, adding that Bryant later handed the firearms to his daughter for her to hide behind their home.
On returning to the house on West Livingston Street, Eads approached the vehicle, leading to Bryant concealing the firearms until a police helicopter, which had been circling the area, left. He then retrieved one of the guns, setting the stage for the dire encounter that followed.
Upon entering their home, Eads was shot in an incident witnessed by her daughters. One of the daughters, who was outside when the shooting occurred, entered the residence to find her mother fatally wounded, soon calling 911.
Investigators contend there was no evidence suggesting Eads had posed any threat to Bryant during the tragic incident, which they classified as premeditated murder.
Eads was a beloved mother of four and a soon-to-be grandmother of five. Family members remembered her as the family’s “backbone,” and deeply impactful to those around her. “She touched a lot of lives,” one of her adult daughters shared in a statement of grief and remembrance.
Bryant, who has been taken into custody, made his initial court appearance on Thursday, where the decision was made to keep him detained. His next hearing is scheduled for April 1.