James Pelzer is being held without bond after deputies said he shot Alanda Cuffee multiple times.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Pensacola man accused of killing his stepdaughter after a kitchen dispute is being held without bond as prosecutors begin a second-degree murder case built on witness statements, police reports and a recovered gun.
James Pelzer, 64, was arrested April 19 in the death of 39-year-old Alanda Cuffee at a home in the 2500 block of Gulf Breeze Avenue. Deputies said the case began as a domestic shooting call and quickly became a homicide investigation after first responders found Cuffee dead inside the residence.
The legal case starts with the charge. Pelzer faces second-degree murder, described in the early records as a dangerous and depraved murder without premeditation. In plain terms, authorities are not saying in the first charge that the killing was planned far ahead of time. They are saying Pelzer carried out an act so dangerous that it showed a disregard for human life. The allegation is tied to what investigators say happened after Cuffee made a comment about manners. Sheriff Chip Simmons said the dispute involved movement in the kitchen and whether someone could walk around another person without bumping into them. He said it also involved asking Pelzer to say “excuse me.”
Deputies were sent to the Gulf Breeze Avenue home about 10:30 a.m. after Pelzer called 911, according to investigators. The decision to call dispatch placed Pelzer at the scene from the start, and deputies said he surrendered when they arrived. They reported that he told them, “I messed up. I messed up bad.” He also directed them to the firearm, saying it was inside the house on top of a Bible near the front door. Deputies recovered the gun and found Cuffee inside. She was unconscious and unresponsive in a pool of blood and had been shot several times. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The central witness statement came from Yvonne Pelzer, the victim’s mother and James Pelzer’s wife. She told investigators she was in the kitchen with Cuffee when James Pelzer entered and tried to get around Cuffee. Yvonne Pelzer said she told her daughter to move for him. Cuffee replied, “Well, Mama, he could say excuse me,” according to the report. Investigators said James Pelzer did not respond verbally. Yvonne Pelzer told them he walked to the bedroom, returned with a short black handgun and fired about four to five rounds at her daughter. The report did not describe any warning before the shots.
Evidence listed in early accounts includes the 911 call, Pelzer’s statements outside the home, Yvonne Pelzer’s eyewitness account, the firearm recovered near the front door and the location of Cuffee’s body. Investigators also noted what happened after the shooting. Yvonne Pelzer began to pray aloud over Cuffee, and James Pelzer told her to “be quiet,” according to the report. Deputies said he later stopped answering questions and requested an attorney. That ended the early interview and shifted the case into the formal court process, where further statements would be handled through counsel.
The arrest report also included background on Pelzer’s alleged behavior before the shooting. Yvonne Pelzer told deputies he had anger issues and had threatened to “use his gun” in other situations. She said those threats had not included direct threats to use the gun on her or Cuffee, and she said he had not been physically violent toward them before. That distinction could matter as the case develops, because prosecutors may seek to show a pattern of threats while the defense may focus on what was, and was not, alleged before April 19. No full defense argument had been made public in the first reports.
Pelzer’s custody status added another procedural marker. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail and held without bond. A no-bond hold means he was not released while the early case moved forward. Reports listed a court appearance for May 8, where the case could continue through arraignment-related steps, bond arguments or scheduling, depending on the filings before the judge. A public defender was associated with Pelzer, but an immediate public comment was not available in the first coverage. The state’s next steps could include formal charging documents, discovery and witness preparation.
Outside the legal file, Cuffee’s family and friends began describing the woman behind the name in the report. Family identified her publicly, and a friend said Cuffee was “selfless” and loved her mother, friends and family. The shooting left that same mother as both a grieving parent and an eyewitness in a murder case. The facts released so far do not answer every question, including whether there were earlier conflicts that morning, what forensic tests will show or how Pelzer’s defense will respond to the state’s account. Those issues are likely to surface later in court.
The case now rests with investigators and prosecutors as they prepare the record for court. Pelzer remained in jail without bond after his arrest, and the next public milestone was the scheduled May 8 court date. Cuffee’s death remained under review as a charged homicide.
Author note: Last updated May 10, 2026.