New video shows response to deadly ambush of deputies as suspect Julie Sulpizio ruled competent for trial | FOX 51 Gainesville
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New video shows response to deadly ambush of deputies as suspect Julie Sulpizio ruled competent for trial

Published  May 23, 2025 12:40am EDT
Lake County
FOX 35 Orlando
Bodycam footage shows response to deadly ambush of deputies

Bodycam footage shows response to deadly ambush of deputies

Newly released body camera footage reveals the chaotic and desperate efforts of SWAT officers as they attempted to rescue a wounded deputy during a deadly ambush in Lake County last August.

The Brief

    • New video captures the chaos during a fatal 2024 ambush that killed Lake County Deputy Bradley Link.
    • Julie Sulpizio, accused of orchestrating the attack, was ruled mentally competent after months of treatment.
    • She faces multiple charges and is expected in court next week for a competency review hearing.

EUSTIS, Fla. - Newly released body camera footage reveals the chaotic and desperate efforts of SWAT officers as they attempted to rescue a wounded deputy during a deadly ambush in Lake County last August.

What we know:

Newly released body camera footage captures the intense moments during a deadly ambush on Lake County deputies in August. 

The incident began as a routine welfare check at a Eustis home but escalated into gunfire. Master Deputy Bradley Link was fatally shot and trapped inside the house, while two other deputies were injured but survived. SWAT officers deployed smoke grenades and flashbangs as they tried for more than an hour to extract Link.

Authorities say Michael Sulpizio and his adopted teenage daughters, Cheyenne and Savannah, opened fire on deputies and later died by suicide before SWAT officers could breach the home. Julie Sulpizio, the only survivor, was arrested and charged with planning the ambush.

The backstory:

The welfare check that brought deputies to the house was not expected to result in violence. Deputies had no indication of what they were walking into. The attack appeared to be premeditated, and Julie Sulpizio has been accused of orchestrating it. She now faces charges of premeditated murder and attempted murder of law enforcement officers.

What we don't know:

Authorities have not released full details on what led to the planning of the ambush or the motive behind it. It is also unclear how long the household had been planning the attack or what specific role each family member played. 

What they're saying:

After being committed to a state mental institution, the court ruled last month that Sulpizio had been restored to competency through treatment and medication. She has since been returned to the county jail to proceed with court proceedings.

Her defense team plans to introduce video from a previous competency evaluation as part of her trial strategy, and has called on two doctors to testify about their psychiatric assessments. For clarity, FOX 35s Marie Edinger spoke with defense attorney, Michael Panella, who is not associated with this specific case. 

"It’s constitutionally unfair as a society to be putting people in prison and punishing people with felonies when they don’t even understand where they are or what’s happening," said defense attorney, Michael Panella, referencing her mental health diagnoses and her prior incompetency ruling. "So the goal of the competency process is to restore them with treatment and medications."

What's next:

Sulpizio is due back in court next week for a competency review hearing.

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Lake County Sheriff's Office, and a defense attorney, Michael Panella.

 

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