A Fort Pierce man is now accused of turning his parents' quiet Hutchinson Island condo into a crime scene, with police saying body-camera video caught him leaving just minutes before officers discovered the elderly couple shot to death inside. The victims, an 85-year-old man and his 80-year-old wife, were found during a welfare check at the Harbour Isle condominium, and their adult son was arrested after a multi-agency pursuit. He remains held in the county jail, according to police.
Fort Pierce police have formally charged 56-year-old Philip Repaci Jr. with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm, according to reporting by CBS12. Officers say they found both victims suffering from multiple gunshot wounds during a Feb. 24 welfare check. Authorities say Repaci Jr. had first been jailed on a fleeing and attempting to elude charge while detectives continued building the homicide case.
What bodycam and court records show
Redacted court filings and police body-camera footage place a man matching Repaci Jr.'s description outside the condo unit just as officers arrived, with the video showing him walking toward a 2016 white Lexus and driving away as an officer approached. A maintenance worker who got there before police told investigators that someone inside the condo claimed to be the homeowner, told him to leave, then exited while pushing a cart loaded with personal items, according to court records described by WPBF.
Evidence, pursuit and arrest
Search warrants executed at the Harbour Isle condo and on the white Lexus uncovered projectiles and a 9mm shell casing inside the residence, investigators say. Inside the vehicle, detectives reported finding a 9mm handgun, spent casings, several cell phones, a laptop, gloves and blankets with what appeared to be bloodstains. Crime-lab testing later matched bullets and casings from the scene to the recovered firearm, and Indian River County deputies say they used a PIT maneuver on U.S. 1 to stop the Lexus after the driver refused to pull over. Those details are laid out in the affidavit and in reporting by CBS12.
Family conflict and background
Court records indicate relatives had been raising alarms about escalating conflict and alleged elder abuse involving Repaci Jr., and that the couple were reportedly trying to buy another home so they could live apart from their son. Neighbors told investigators they heard several loud bangs on the morning of the killings, and family members described what they said was a long-running, tumultuous relationship with the suspect, according to WPBF.
Legal next steps
Repaci Jr. remains in the Indian River County Jail and was scheduled for arraignment on April 8, according to court records. The new counts are for first-degree premeditated murder, a capital felony under Florida law that can lead to life imprisonment or, if prosecutors seek capital punishment and the legal requirements are met, the death penalty, as outlined in state statute and summarized by the Florida Senate.
Fort Pierce police have asked anyone with information to contact the department directly or submit an anonymous tip to Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers. Local coverage notes the tipline at 1-800-273-TIPS (8477), information that WPTV reported while urging the public to assist investigators.
