Daytona Beach, FL – A homeless man could face life in prison for breaking into a woman’s apartment and attacking her family nearly a year ago.
22-year-old Gabriel I. Gullo was convicted by a Volusia County jury on Wednesday following a 3-day trial in that December 2014 incident in Port Orange.
Port Orange Police Department officers were called to that apartment around 9:15pm on December 28th after a woman found her front door lock tampered with. The address was redacted from the report.
Spencer Hathaway – a spokesman for 7th Circuit State Attorney RJ Larizza – says Gullo had broken in and hid in the attic after she had a court order filed to prevent him from coming near her.
“Gullo climbed into the attic and waited for her to arrive,” Hathaway noted. “The woman arrived with her parents who noticed signs of a break-in.”
Officers were unable to find Gullo despite searching the home and it was soon after POPD left when Gullo made his move, per Hathaway.
“Gullo emerged from the attic, attacked the family and attempted to flee from the scene,” Hathaway stated. “The family did not sustain any serious injury.”
The arrest report shows Gullo wrestled the woman’s 66-year-old father to the ground after he tried to prevent Gullo from leaving the apartment.
Gullo managed to flee before POPD could get back on scene but he was taken into custody the following day at a restaurant on South Ridgewood Avenue, per the report.
The jury took around 50 minutes to find Gullo guilty of 5 felonies and 4 misdemeanors, according to Hathaway.
“A sentencing hearing has been set where prosecutors will seek to have Gullo sentenced as a Prison Releasee Reoffender,” Hathaway added. “If sentenced as a PRR, Gullo faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.”
That hearing is scheduled for December 29th at 8:30am. Gullo will remain in custody at Volusia County Jail until then.
Gullo was convicted on 3 battery charges as well as aggravated stalking and battery on a person over 65 years of age, all of which are felonies. The misdemeanors were on charges of stalking, domestic battery, battery and violating an injunction.
Gabriel I. Gullo (mugshot courtesy VCJ)
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.