A 46-year-old Lake Wales man is facing an attempted second-degree murder charge after investigators say he repeatedly struck his sleeping housemate in the head with a clothes iron, beating the appliance into pieces in the process. Christopher Lewis Boudreaux was arrested following the attack, which authorities say happened without provocation inside a home the two men shared.
According to a FOX 13 Tampa Bay report, the confrontation unfolded in stages starting around 5:30 a.m. Boudreaux first entered the room where the victim was sleeping on a couch and yelled at him, according to local law enforcement. He left, then returned roughly nine minutes later and punched the sleeping man in the head, authorities say. Moments after that, he threw a glass of water at the victim before rushing him with a clothes iron, according to local law enforcement.
The West Orlando News reports that the victim managed to hit Boudreaux with the same glass that had been thrown at him, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Despite that resistance, Boudreaux continued the assault. NewsTalk 730 AM reported that Polk County Sheriff's Office investigators determined he repeatedly struck the victim's head with the iron with enough force that the appliance broke apart.
Victim Hospitalized, Suspect Booked After Treatment
Polk County Sheriff's Office detectives responded to the residence, where forensic investigators collected evidence from the scene. The victim suffered multiple contusions to his face and head and was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. Boudreaux was also taken to a hospital before being released and booked at the sheriff's processing center, which operates out of the agency's Winter Haven headquarters at 1891 Jim Keene Blvd, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
The charge against Boudreaux, attempted second-degree murder, is classified under Florida Statutes § 782.04(2) and § 777.04 as a first-degree felony, carrying a statutory maximum of up to 30 years in state prison, according to FindLaw Caselaw. The severity of the charge reflects the degree of force investigators say was used against the victim while he was sleeping and unable to defend himself.
A Shared Home, Not a Family Dispute
A Shared Home The two men lived together. Historical crime analysis from the same firm, citing Florida Department of Law Enforcement data, found that Polk County reported more than 2,200 domestic violence cases in 2020, a rate of 728.8 incidents per 100,000 residents that historically exceeded the statewide average.
The attack comes even as broader violent crime trends in the region have been heading downward. Semi-annual Uniform Crime Reporting data published by the Polk County Sheriff's Office showed violent crime in the agency's jurisdiction fell 21.9% during the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, alongside a 24.6% drop in total reported crimes. Lake Wales itself recorded 41 violent crimes in 2024, a rate of 243.9 per 100,000 residents that was 39.5% lower than the year before and below the national average of 359.1 per 100,000, according to municipal crime data compiled by OpenCrime.
A Small City Still Grappling With Violent Crime
Lake Wales had an estimated population of 18,650 in 2025, with a median resident age of 42.7 and a median individual income of $30,335, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures compiled by Data Commons. The Polk County Sheriff's Office, which investigated this case, serves an unincorporated and contract municipality population of more than 480,000 residents on an annual budget exceeding $136 million, per data compiled by Police Scorecard.
This is not the only violent case to emerge from Lake Wales in recent weeks. Hoodline previously reported on a late-night standoff after screams and on a separate shooting that left four people shot at a local mud hole. The motive behind Boudreaux's alleged outburst, along with the victim's long-term recovery and Boudreaux's bond conditions, remain unresolved as the case moves forward.
