ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Suzanne LaPierre and James Lally. Credit: Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers James Lally, the man thought to have been with missing Iona woman Suzanne LaPierre, went before a judge in Lee County Wednesday morning for his first appearance after state attorneys say he confessed to murdering her. Deputies arrested 51-year-old Lally in Jacksonville on Tuesday afternoon. Neighbors say he was dating 54-year-old LaPierre. He is currently in the Lee County Jail after a judge ruled he will be held without bond until his next court appearance on March 28 at 8:30 a.m. The state says Lally confessed to murdering LaPierre with a hammer to kill LaPierre before disposing of her body in a different location, afterward pawning her jewelry and family heirlooms in Sarasota. Lally’s second-degree murder charge is a first-degree felony and is punishable by a maximum sentence of life in prison. Deputies were earlier seen outside LaPierre’s home in the Century 21 community. Crime scene tape and a deputy parked out front remained there Tuesday night. On Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said detectives knew instantly something very violent happened inside LaPierre’s home. “They discovered a bloody scene. Our investigation revealed that Suzanne was beaten to death with a hammer and that Lally was on the run,” said Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno. Lally was LaPierre’s boyfriend. Deputies said it wasn’t a long relationship, but neighbors said it started out lovingly. “He painted her toenails and stuff and she just thought she was in heaven you know, she was like a little kid,” said neighbor Brian Larimer. It was heaven at first, but it turned into hell at the end. “She told him the relationship was over and that he needed to move out, some point after that he became irate and ended up killing her with a hammer,” said Marceno. The Sheriff’s Office released a photo of the hammer they believed Lally used to kill LaPierre. (Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office) Marceno said Lally drove 11 miles away to Dusty Road where he dumped LaPierre’s body. Lally then hopped in the red Chevy HHR and tried to get away. Lally made it to Jacksonville before being caught, he is now back in Lee County where a state attorney told a judge Lally admitted to everything. “He confessed to the crime, it was also a very brutal murder in that he used a hammer, he drug her body, disposed of it in a different location, she was trying to leave him and he wasn’t going to let that happen and brutally murdered her,” said the state attorney. “Definitely tragic. I mean shocked to think something like that happened,” said Larimer. The prosecutor during Lally’s first appearance said, “He actually killed her and then he pawned her family heirlooms, her jewelry, took her car … He also has a failure to appear as a prior, along with other felony priors; some of them violent. He actually has a kidnapping conviction” Prosecutors also argued not only is it unsafe for Lally to be in the community, but they say he’s also a flight risk. Lally will remain in jail until his next court appearance at the Lee County Courthouse on March 28 at 8:30 a.m. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office held a news conference to give details of the case. Watch in the player below or click here.