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Man charged in Pinellas slaying

He is accused of shooting to death a 22-year-old woman in her St. Petersburg apartment.

By WILL VAN SANT
Published December 19, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Two hours before Ashley Suggs was shot to death Saturday night, her neighbor, Cedric Anderson, saw her at the EZ Stop grocery and warned her to be careful.

He had seen William Truesdale, a former boyfriend of Suggs' mother, Natalie, hanging around. It was obvious to Anderson that Truesdale was stalking Ashley and Natalie Suggs, who shared an apartment at 2825 Seventh St. S.

Anderson, 42, said Ashley Suggs told him she knew Truesdale was dangerous.

"The look on her face, she looked scared," Anderson said.

Police said about 6:30 p.m., Truesdale went to the Suggs apartment, shot Ashley Suggs once in the upper body and fled.

On Sunday morning, police saw Truesdale, 47, driving at 38th Avenue S and 37th Street. Truesdale, of 1720 Highland St. S, St. Petersburg, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

Police said Ashley Suggs, 22, was with a friend when Truesdale shot her. Her mother was not home.

Truesdale and Natalie Suggs separated early this year, St. Petersburg police Maj. Ron Hartz said. On at least six occasions since the breakup, Hartz said, Natalie Suggs or a family member called police to complain of Truesdale harassing them.

"For whatever reason," Hartz said, "he did not want it to end."

Some days, he would pull up outside the Suggs apartment and sit in his truck for a time before leaving. The women knew the sound of his vehicle, Anderson said, and would watch him through the window.

In one incident, Hartz said, Truesdale smashed a vehicle into Natalie Suggs' car. Hartz said officers had encouraged her to seek an injunction to bar Truesdale from getting near her.

Court records indicate that Natalie Suggs filed for an injunction against Truesdale on May 24, but her petition was dismissed June 3. The reason was unclear.

There is no record of her daughter having sought an injunction.

Truesdale has an arrest record that includes charges of aggravated assault, robbery and drug possession, police said. He told police he was unemployed but had once driven trucks.

Ashley Suggs' killing was the 32nd homicide in St. Petersburg this year, the most in more than a decade.

She attended Northeast High School and worked as a housekeeper at La Quinta Inn on 34th Street N.

Nobody answered a knock on the family's apartment door Sunday afternoon. A neighbor, Louise Henderson, 64, said no one had been home since morning.

On Saturday night, Henderson said, she heard a gunshot. Then she smelled gun smoke and heard police sirens.

--Will Van Sant can be reached at 727 445-4166 or vansant@sptimes.com

[Last modified December 19, 2005, 01:38:18]