A murder investigation began after deputies found an adult woman dead late Thursday near a closed business in the 5100 block of 14th Street West in Bradenton, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and Tampa Bay 28. Investigators said the woman showed signs of homicidal violence and that they developed probable cause to arrest Rodney Booth, 64, who was also at the scene.
What the records identify
The sheriff’s initial account described the allegation as murder. A jail booking record cited by WTSP uses more specific language, listing murder committed while Booth was engaged in sexual battery. That entry reflects the language recorded during booking; it is not a finding that the conduct occurred, and Booth has not been convicted. The available information does not include a charging document or establish the potential sentence. WTSP reported the booking-record designation.
Investigation remains open
Deputies were sent to the location at about 11:15 p.m. The woman’s identity has not been released, and it is not publicly known whether she knew Booth. Anyone with information can contact the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at 941-747-3011, according to WTSP.
Related crime and legal context
According to WWSB/MySuncoast, Manatee County recorded seven murders in 2025, down from 10 in 2024, while robberies fell nearly 40%. Those countywide figures do not establish a trend or explain the circumstances of Booth’s case, and the available information here does not provide a comparable statewide figure. In a separate Polk County case arising from a 1977 killing, the Florida Supreme Court reviewed a first-degree murder conviction accompanied by a sexual-battery conviction and a death sentence, according to the court opinion published by Justia. That was a past adjudicated case decided after trial and differs procedurally and factually from Booth’s pending arrest.
What the booking designation establishes
Florida law classifies first-degree murder as a capital felony under section 782.04, according to the Florida Legislature. But that statutory classification does not establish that Booth’s case has been formally charged as first-degree murder, and the booking designation alone does not establish that classification in this case.
The case remains pending, and the allegations against Booth have not been proven in court.
