Man serving life sentence indicted in 2010 murder of 16-year-old Sebastian Ochsenius
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Timothy Eugene Thomas, 33, has been indicted for the 2010 murder of 16-year-old Sebastian Ochsenius.
On June 29, 2010, an intruder entered the Ochsenius home through a sliding glass door at about 3:45 a.m. and shot Sebastian, who had been playing video games with a friend in his family’s home in the neighborhood across NW 43rd Street from the Millhopper Branch Library. Sebastian’s friend said Sebastian had gotten up to walk to the kitchen, then gunshots rang out and he and Sebastian’s father rushed to Sebastian, who died a short time later; they told responding officers that they didn’t see the shooter.
Alachua County Sheriff Emery Gainey said the agency is looking for help from the public in identifying a short Hispanic woman with a “heavy build” who would be in her early 30s now and may have loaned a car, a white or cream-colored Kia Sportage, to Thomas.
New evidence surfaced in 2020, and interviews have been conducted around the state since then; the nature of the evidence has not been made public, but on December 14, 2023, the Alachua County Winter Term Grand Jury indicted Thomas on charges of homicide while engaged in trafficking and armed burglary.
The State Attorney’s Office does not have a complete criminal history for Thomas, but he was arrested in Orange County for armed robbery in 2011 and went to state prison for four years. He was released in April 2015, and in October 2015 he was pulled over in Key West by a Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy for a traffic violation and shot the deputy, who survived only because he was wearing a vest. Thomas was sentenced to life in prison on that charge and other associated charges and has been incarcerated since that date.
Thomas is being held without bail.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Good work Law Enforcement
If there were ever a poster child for the death penalty, Timothy Eugene Thomas would be it.
I hope they seek the death penalty.
Wow, I have wondered about this since the day it happened! I can’t wait to hear the details that they have. Great work, law enforcement!
That murder disturbed me a lot. The weirdness was part of it, but also I grew up in that area. Nasty individual….
It sure looks like he’s been thinking about it all this time.
Murdering a child is unforgiveable.
How about executing this thug? He’s already shot at least two people that we know of and killed one of them. Why should we support this killer while he sits in jail?
He was likely a prior repeat offender and released one too many times. Whoever his public lawyers and judges were at that time (pre-this case), should be sued by the victim’s parents and their salaries, pensions clawed back. Investigate them fir corruption, too.
I hope this is a start for the family of Sebastian to find some type of peace (if that is possible). God Bless this family.