Scared Wife Convinced Husband Would Kill Her; Sheriff Says He Did

ORIENT PARK, FL -- Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies have charged 35-year-old Lenton Chambers with premeditated first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his estranged wife.

Evelyn Chambers, 35, was found shot to death at her home in the 3600 block of Sugarcreek Drive in Orient Park on Sept. 7. The sheriff's office charged Lenton Chambers with her murder five days later.

According to the sheriff's office, the couple was going through a divorce and there had been series of domestic violence calls to the sheriff's office prior to her murder starting in January.

On April 27, according to sheriff's reports, Evelyn Chambers allowed him to stay the night to visit their two daughters and woke up in the middle of the night to find Lenton Chambers standing over her with a gun. Afterward, Evelyn Chambers said he took her cell phone and when she struggled with him to get it back, he kicked her in the head twice.

Following that incident, Chambers was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and improper exhibition of a firearm.

Once he bonded out of jail, Evelyn Chambers complained to the sheriff's office that her husband continued to harass her. She reportedly confided to neighbors that she was terrified of him and feared he might kill her.

Finally, on Aug. 27, the court issued an injunction against Chambers forbidding any contact with his estranged wife. But, before the sheriff's deputy could find Chambers to serve the warrant, Evelyn Chambers was killed (see related story).

A neighbor heard the gunshots and went to the home to find Chambers dead. Her daughters, age 18 and 15, weren't home at the time.

Chambers is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail without bond.

Image via Hillsborough Sheriff

(For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)