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Man found guilty of murdering his girlfriend with a baseball bat
Police  |  Thu - December 14, 2023 1:27 am  |  Article Hits:273  |  A+ | a-
Marion County Jail mugshot of Anciaux on left; courtroom photo (courtesy of SAO) on right shows ASA Toby Hunt showing jurors the baseball bat Anciaux used to attack and kill Jennifer Powell.
 
Office of the State Attorney, Fifth Judicial Circuit
William M. Gladson, State Attorney
                  Serving Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter, Hernando Counties    
                                                 
 Marion County, Florida - On December 13, 2023, jurors returned a guilty verdict for 36 year-old Chad Paul Anciaux of charges of first-degree murder and resisting an officer with violence. 

Anciaux was accused of brutally attacking his then-girlfried, Jennifer Powell, with a baseball bat on November 6, 2020, which resulted in her death at an area hospital on November 16, 2020.

The incident took place at the Stage Stop Inn, located at 5131 E. Silver Springs Blvd., in Ocala, Florida. 

Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the hotel, as the result of a phone call that reported that a woman had been beaten by a male with a baseball bat. Deputies arrived at the location to find Ms. Powell lying on the sidewalk with a large amount of blood around her head. 

Witnesses advised detectives that Anciaux had chased the victim out of the hotel room and struck her repeatedly with a metal baseball bat. Video surveillance evidence from the hotel corroborated the statement of witnesses.

The investigation revealed that Anciaux struck the victim nearly 20 times with a baseball bat.

"Today's verdict sends a clear message that acts of violence will not be tolerated," stated William "Bill" Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. "Anciaux will spend the rest of his life behind bars, an appropriate sentence that reflects the severity of this heinous crime."

Officials located Anciaux, a short time after the incident, and he resisted deputies during the arrest. In a seperate incident, Anciaux had previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison on a charge of failure to register as a sexual offender. He had been convicted of a misdemeanor sex crime in Iowa.

Assistant State Attorneys Toby Hunt and Amy Berndt prosecuted the case.
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