Guardsman Held in 3 Stabbing Deaths in Florida

MIAMI — A National Guardsman who operated a forklift at a depot for hurricane relief supplies was charged Wednesday with stabbing to death a teen-age girl and two young men he met at a bar.

Police said Steven Scott Coleman, 24, of Tampa confessed under questioning by detectives who picked him up at the guard camp next to Florida International University, where the bodies were found Tuesday.

“He cried,” homicide Cmdr. Wayne McCarthy said. “We don’t think any more people are involved.”

Coleman was held without bond at Dade County Jail on three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of sexually assaulting two of the victims after the attack.

Autopsies on Ronny Quisbert and Andrew McGinnis, both 21, and Regina Rodriguez, 15, were being performed Wednesday, authorities said. None of them attended the state-owned university.

The victims met Coleman at a bar near the camp early Tuesday, McCarthy said. They agreed to go with him to another bar across town and drive him back to the camp.

Hours later, the four apparently began arguing and drove into the campus, McCarthy said. Coleman killed all three inside the car with a large folding knife and then sexually assaulted Rodriguez and McGinnis, he said.

Coleman, who was in uniform, then returned to the camp where his unit, Company B of the 53rd Support Battalion from St. Petersburg, has been unloading supplies for victims of Hurricane Andrew.