HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The man recently arrested in connection with the murder of a Seffner mom in July is now facing charges connected to a 2021 murder.
Hillsborough county Sheriff's Office has charged Phillip Stapleton with first degree murder and tampering with evidence related to a 2021 homicide involving a man's body that was found on the side of the road two years ago in Hillsborough County.
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) said on June 12, 2021, around 6:30 a.m., deputies were called to the intersection of County Road 579 and Joe Ebert Road after someone saw the man in Thonotosassa.
Upon arrival, deputies discovered the man, and the case was ruled a homicide. Detectives continued to investigate for two years before making a significant breakthrough that led to the arrest of Phillip Stapleton, 32.
HCSO said Stapleton was a possible suspect in two active homicide investigations. He was taken into custody without incident on Monday for his alleged involvement in a July 20, 2023, murder in Seffner.
"We tip our hat to our deputies and our detectives who worked this case, from from 2021 to now," said HCSO Assistant Chief Communication's Officer Phillip Martello. "He was a suspect in that murder in 2021. But he was someone that we couldn't get on the initial charges because there just wasn't enough evidence at the time. Our team continued to work that and then once we got this new evidence, like we said, with the license plate readers, with the video surveillance that we had from that initial investigation, we were able to make that connection."
Due to Marsy's Law, HCSO is not releasing the name of the victim in the 2021 murder. Martello says they have determined Stapleton did know the man, however.
Stapleton is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and principal to murder in the first degree for the death of a Seffner woman in July.
Another man, Aurelio Diaz Jr., was charged in the murder. Detectives say he was the one who fatally shot the victim, Ashley Voss. Detectives point to a neighbor's Ring Doorbell camera that captured Diaz Jr. walking up to the car and shooting. It also catches both men in the area.
Court records state Stapleton shared a son with Voss. The documents says Voss's family told them Stapleton has recently threatened her over an ongoing child support battle.
In an interview with detectives, Stapleton said he never told Diaz Jr. to kill, shoot, or harm Voss. He said he only wanted to play a prank on her.
"These two murders were gutless. They were really tough scenes for our deputies to respond to. No deputy wakes up in the morning wanting to go to a crime scene of this nature where someone has just been left for dead. And that's what fuels a lot of our detectives to really seek justice for those those people who have been impacted by such heinous heinous crimes," Martello added.
Officials added that the investigation is still ongoing.
