Suspected New Britain Serial Killer Eyed In 1991 Florida Slaying
By Dave Altimari
August 7, 2015 9:30 A.M.
Investigators tracing the history of suspected New Britain serial killer William Devin Howell are looking into his possible connection to the unsolved 1991 murder of a woman in Florida.
April Marie Stone disappeared on Jan. 14, 1991, as she was walking along a state highway in South Apopka, Fla. Stone, 21 at the time, was found two days later
wrapped in a blanket off a dirt road in nearby Sanford.
At the time of the slaying, Howell was living in Casselberry, about 15 miles away from where the body was found. Howell was arrested a few months after Stone's death. Police records obtained by The Courant show that Howell, who was also 21 at the time, was charged with soliciting a prostitute in Altamonte Springs, Fla. on April 12, 1991. Altamonte Springs borders Casselberry.
(The woman was an undercover LEO.)
[...]
Spears said Howell got on their radar in late February when detectives from the Connecticut Serial Killer Task Force came to Florida and gave a presentation to several law enforcement agencies on their case, Howell's background and his ties to Florida.
[...]
The Florida case was the first time Howell was ever arrested as an adult, judicial records indicate. He has no other arrests for soliciting prostitutes.
So from what we can glean from the report, there are at least two reasons why Howell is of interest in the April Stone murder.
1) Stone was wrapped in a blanket. The CT victims were wrapped in blankets. (The CT victims were buried, however, and Stone was not.)
2) Stone was murdered on Jan 14, 1991. Howell was residing in Casselberry at the time, 15 miles from where Stone's body was found.
The article suggests there are other similarities, but only describes the ones above.
Thanks for the link, cgon4872.
ETA: A few facts about April Stone's murder
- She'd left home to go for a walk, leaving behind her wallet and ID. Father stated she often went for walks with her Walkman.
- COD was stab wounds
- Death took place shortly after she left home.
- "...last seen about 4 p.m. Jan. 14 walking along Old Dixie Highway - State Road 424 - in Apopka."
- Jan 16, "...body was found 15 miles away on Painted Post Road near State Road 46 and the Wekiva River"
Link to a 1991 Orlando Sentinel report on April Stone's murder.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1991-01-23/news/9101230965_1_thomas-stone-stone-friends-apopka