Victims in double homicide identified

Update 4:30 p.m.

The victims in a double homicide discovered Monday were homeless and living with their assailants in the woods across the street from the St. Marks Trail, police said.

Jason R. Coshatt, 29, and Lynette L. Lee, 21, had befriended Joseph Oakes and Jennifer Ellis, who have been arrested in connection to the homicides.

Oakes has been charged with two counts of homicide and Ellis was arrested on two counts of being an accessory after the fact of capital felony for helping to clean the crime scene.

Police learned of the crime from a complainant who provided them with a recorded conversation between Oakes and his ex-wife, who is also Ellis' sister, according to court records.

Court records show he confided in his ex-wife he committed the crimes with a hammer and cut the man's foot off with a machete after an argument.

Tallahassee Police Department Spokesman Scott Beck said it didn't appear the suspects had been in Tallahassee long and a prior Tallahassee address had been found for the victims, but it was also unclear how long they had been in town.

Beck said it there were no indications other people lived in the wooded area where the bodies were found.

Oakes and Ellis stayed at The Shelter for five days in April, said director Jacob Reiter. He said nothing out of the ordinary occurred while they were there.

"Nothing sticks out other than the fact that they weren't from town and they were passing through is our best understanding," Reiter said.

Beck said an autopsy was completed Tuesday, but results wouldn't be available for six to eight weeks. He said following the investigation, the State Attorney's Office would make a decision whether to bring first-degree murder charges against Oakes and Ellis.

He said the incident didn't appear to be a domestic issue, but the case is not normal "It's not something we typically would come across," Beck said. "Fortunately, we don't have these type of cases very often where there is a such gruesome case."

Original story

An argument in a wooded area near the St. Marks Trail ended with two people beaten to death with a hammer according to detailed information that emerged Tuesday.

The two victims, a man and a woman, were living in a tent in the woods with Joseph Oakes, 32, and Jennifer Ellis, 43, according to court documents.

Related link: Two arrested in double homicide near St. Marks Trail

Oakes and Ellis were arrested Monday; Oakes on two counts of homicide and Ellis on two counts of being an accessory after the fact of capital felony.

According to complete arrest records obtained Tuesday, the deceased man attempted to touch Ellis in a sexual way while Oakes took a phone call outside the tent.

Oakes returned and became agitated when he saw Ellis crying. Court documents said he hit the two victims with a hammer while they were lying down inside the tent.

According to records, a caller provided the Tallahassee Police Department with information about the homicide after recording a conversation between Oakes and his ex-wife.

Oakes also sent photos of the dismembered bodies and asked if his ex-wife had received them, asking "you think I'm a joke?" according to court records.

When Oakes and Ellis were arrested Monday, Oakes' clothing and shoes were covered in blood. He later told investigators he remembered possibly using a machete to cut off the man's foot.

According to court documents, Oakes told investigators he recalled striking the man, but "blanked out" after that, unable to remember anything further until the next day when he woke up next to two bodies.

Oakes told investigators he and Ellis dragged the bodies 20 or 30 feet from the tent and covered them in garbage. Oakes said Ellis washed the weapons used in the homicide and cleaned up blood in the tent, according to records.

TPD Spokesman Scott Beck said police are still working to identify the bodies. An autopsy was set for Tuesday.

"Hopefully we will have some more answers after that," Beck said.

Ellis was arrested for her alleged role in the crime and told investigators that Oakes and the male victim began to argue after she was propositioned sexually. According to records, the next thing Ellis said she remembered was the two victims dead and moving their bodies. Based on interviews with Oakes, police were able to locate the tent and bodies Monday morning.

Both he and Ellis remain in the Leon County Jail. Ellis is held on a bond of $50,000, while Oakes has no bond set.

Beck said the investigation continues.

"This was a very bizarre story," Beck said, adding information about the jurisdiction of the crime first reported late Monday. "When we received the call, we didn't know where the exact crime scene was — that's why we had the assistance of the Leon county Sheriff's Office."