A Jacksonville man has been found guilty of second-degree murder for killing his wife with a metal pipe, in a case that has horrified the local community.
On 16 September 2025, a judge convicted 33-year-old Samijo Hemans during a bench trial of the death of his wife, Catherine, who was also 33. The killing took place in May 2021 at the Kings Crossing Apartments on Old Kings Road.
According to police reports, Hemans admitted striking Catherine in the back of the head about 45 minutes after she returned home with their infant child. Authorities said that after the first blow, she tried to wrestle the weapon away, but Hemans hit her several more times. She died from her injuries.
Hemans told investigators there had been no argument beforehand. Instead, he claimed his wife had been practising “voodoo” on him for years, suggesting it had influenced his actions. Police found no evidence to support his claim.
Neighbours told officers they heard no raised voices or signs of a fight that day, though some remembered tension between the couple in the past. When law enforcement arrived, Catherine was found unresponsive with severe head injuries consistent with blunt force trauma. The metal pipe used in the assault was recovered at the scene. Their baby was unharmed and is now being cared for by relatives.
Prosecutors argued the killing was deliberate and unprovoked, pointing to Hemans’ own admission and the evidence collected inside the flat. The defence did not dispute the physical evidence but leaned on his claims of being under psychological distress.
The trial was heard by a judge rather than a jury, and the guilty verdict came down swiftly. Hemans now faces the possibility of life in prison. Under Florida law, second-degree murder carries broad sentencing options, though legal experts say the brutality of this attack makes a life sentence highly likely, even if parole eligibility remains decades away.
The community has been left shaken by the crime, particularly by the absence of any clear motive and the fact it happened in a home shared with a small child. Residents of Kings Crossing expressed shock that such a brutal act occurred without warning.
Catherine’s death has also raised attention to the challenges of domestic violence cases where there are no obvious signs leading up to tragedy. For many, the most chilling detail is that the attack appeared to come without provocation, other than Hemans’ bizarre claims about “voodoo.”
The sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled but is expected to draw significant attention. For many in Jacksonville, it represents not only the closing chapter in a devastating case but also a reminder of the young life cut short and a child left without a mother.
