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Kurt

Admin
Staff member
Oct 15, 2004
2,233
4,925
SoWal
mooncreek.com
http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/...en_by_Teenagers_Violent_Murder_124111544.html

The murder of 15-year old Courtney Wilkes has generated a lot of attention all over the southeast, for several reasons. First, because of the brutal nature of the crime, and second, because the upscale 30A tourist area has rarely had any murders. The murder has shaken this normally quiet resort area.


Residents and tourists, staying near the BeachCrest condominiums where 15-year old Courtney Wilkes was vacationing with her family, were shocked by the news of her murder on Thursday.




"I mean it's just that kind of place, nothing happens here, until last night" says Seagrove resident Rusty Wharton.


In the quaint Seagrove community, Wharton's backyard turned into a crime scene.
Sheriff's investigators found the teenager's body in a wooded area behind Wharton's house on Cypress Grove Lane.


Wharton asked an investigator what happened, to which he replied, " well, you really want to know?' and I said, 'no'. He said, 'Are you a Christian?' I said, 'yeah'. He said, 'it was that bad.'"
Investigators went door-to-door again Friday, showing pictures of Wilkes, and talking to anyone who may have information about the case.


One woman, who did not want to be identified, says she saw Wilkes and the suspect, 21-year old Steven Anthony Cozzie walking together just an hour before Wilkes' mother reported her missing.


"I had seen him walking on 30A, walking west towards Seaside and then about an hour after that I saw him walk past my front door with a girl in a bikini" says one woman who has requested to remain anonymous.
Learning, now, about Wilkes' fate has been disturbing for some.


"I wonder what I could have done if I had known. She was still alive when I saw them...I'm just so glad they caught him."


Thursday night, authorities said they were questioning 2-persons of interest. One was Cozzie, the other turned out to be Cozzie's friend, who investigators say is the one who cooperated with them.
 

seal

Beach Lover
Apr 17, 2006
182
48
In Sheriff Atkinson's press conference, he says at 9:08, "he(Cozzie) still has Hell to look forward to". Well said Sheriff.

I will pray for this family that lost their daughter and sister.
 

hkem1

Beach Fanatic
Sep 8, 2007
350
41
This is so horrible!!! Makes you just want to hold your kids close! I cannot believe this guy is smiling in his mug shot!!! Does anyone know if he was "off" mentally? (I mean, you have to be to murder someone, but has he always been "off" in his behavior?)

He definitely has had shocking behavior in the past that has left impressions on people. I rode the bus with him for a couple years. He would get into fights (and get suspended from the bus) practically every time he rode it.

The most shocking incident was when he was riding the bus one day and he flipped out at a 7th grade girl who was a student at Seaside riding home on the bus. He is a pretty big guy and he was physically shoving her and had to be physically removed off the bus to get him off of her.

He was definitely someone who would always try to be around younger kids (boys and girls). But it was always in kind of a creepy way.
 

MonicaQA

Beach Lover
Jun 22, 2009
115
23
New Braunfels, TX
He definitely has had shocking behavior in the past that has left impressions on people. I rode the bus with him for a couple years. He would get into fights (and get suspended from the bus) practically every time he rode it.

The most shocking incident was when he was riding the bus one day and he flipped out at a 7th grade girl who was a student at Seaside riding home on the bus. He is a pretty big guy and he was physically shoving her and had to be physically removed off the bus to get him off of her.

He was definitely someone who would always try to be around younger kids (boys and girls). But it was always in kind of a creepy way.


Thank you for the information, I suspected there had to be some violent behavior prior to this. I wonder if the behavior he demonstrated at home (that caused his parents to kick him out) was bad enough that he should have been committed? I am not blaming the parents, just wondering; obviously nothing will bring Courtney back now. My heart goes out to both families. I will pray for strength & peace for the Wilkes family during this difficult & grievous time, and I will also pray for the Cozzie family. I am sure they are going through a horrific time as well. The whole situation is so very sad...
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BeachArkie

Beach Lover
Jun 27, 2008
156
85
44
Seagrove
Sounds like this is yet another tragedy that could have been avoided if anyone had picked up on one of the many signs and taken action.

That he had a well known history of violence, especially against young women, and nothing was done about it is horrible.
 

jpbhen

Beach Fanatic
Jul 10, 2005
521
86
Seagrove/Cincinnati
Yes, but hindsight is 20-20. He can't be thrown in the slammer - or committed - when according to the law he hasn't (yet) done anything to warrant it. Like, in that Tom Cruise film "Minority Report". I don't think his family, or those who saw him camping out at Cassine, would ever have dreamed that this would happen. If they HAD called the police, except for the trespassing, what would they have said? That he was creepy, had fights on school buses, liked younger girls (ugh)? Unless and until he acts out on it, you can't really exact prior restraint. I guess you just have to hope that his first crime is not murder, but that it is big enough to lock him up for some time. I don't know - I just don't think it can be said that this could have ultimately been prevented with the laws we have in place.
 

BeachArkie

Beach Lover
Jun 27, 2008
156
85
44
Seagrove
You don't need to arrest someone to get them help. Psychiatric care or other action taken after one of the incidents mentioned might have saved this girl's life.

Hindsight is 20/20, but a pair of $3 reading glasses from Wal-mart is sometimes all you need to have 20/20 vision in the present.
 
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scooterbug44

SoWal Expert
May 8, 2007
16,732
3,330
Sowal
This is every parent's worst nightmare realized, I can't even begin to imagine what her poor parents are going through.

Does Florida have the death penalty?
 

30A Skunkape

Skunky
Jan 18, 2006
10,286
2,312
53
Backatown Seagrove
I was talking to some people over the weekend and predicted that this tragedy was big time bad news for our most well known 'homeless' person who resides under the Bramble walkover. I hope that he is not caught up in the backlash to 'fix things' that commonly occurs after these sorts of events. We need to remain calm and collected and remember that this was probably a failure of many difficult to correct factors, and 'fixing' a problem that had nothing to do with the murder will do nobody good (ie, running off the established homeless when they have done nothing wrong).
 

beachmouse

Beach Fanatic
Dec 5, 2004
3,504
741
Bluewater Bay, FL
You don't need to arrest someone to get them help. Psychiatric care or other action taken after one of the incidents mentioned might have saved this girl's life.

Hindsight is 20/20, but a pair of $3 reading glasses from Wal-mart is sometimes all you need to have 20/20 vision in the present.

The flip side is how do we know someone hadn't tried to Baker Act him at some point? It takes a fair amount of mental dysfunction to get involuntarily committed down here, and for all we know someone had tried to get him in the system, but it didn't "take" for whatever reason.
 
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