Woman jumps into ocean to save drowning man only to later learn he's wanted for double murder
A woman assisted a man she believed to be drowning on a Florida beach, only to discover he's suspected of killing his wife and her co-worker who he believed she was having an affair with. Belinda, who chose not to share her last name, was on a morning walk at Vero Beach on March 24 when she heard suspect Jesse Scott Ellis yelling for help. 'I could hear a faint "Help! Help! Help!" and I looked, and I saw someone who looked like they were in distress,' she told WPBF.Belinda ran into the water and instructed Ellis, who was fully clothed, to get on his back and allow the waves to carry him to shore near Riomar Beach. Ellis, 64, is wanted by Vero Beach police for allegedly shooting his estranged wife of 13 years, Stacie Mason and her alleged lover, Danny Ooley, the very same day Belinda rescued him. Both Ooley and Mason were employees at Indian River County within the public works department.Video footage following the rescue showed Belinda crouching next to Ellis after he made it back to shore.'I said, "Are you alright?" and he said, "I'm exhausted, I will never go out that far again,"' she recalled. Jesse Ellis, 64, allegedly shot and killed his wife of 13 years and her lover in Florida last moth Ellis and his estranged wife, Stacie Mason, were reportedly in the midst of a potential separation at the time Shortly after the shooting, a passerby found a man believed to be Ellis in distress in the oceanThe man then told Belinda that he was going to take 'a long vacation.' At the time, Belinda was blissfully unaware that the man she helped may have been a double homicide suspect. 'I could not leave him in the water no matter what,' she said. 'Everybody is going through something.'Police are still searching for Ellis, who allegedly fired 21 shots at Mason, 49, and Ooley, 56, around 7am that day.The pair, who had been having an affair for several weeks, were parked outside the Indian River County Main Library for a hookup. They arrived separately before Mason climbed into Ooley's vehicle, something they had reportedly done multiple times. Ellis allegedly arrived behind them with an AR-15-style rifle to shoot in tow.He reportedly fired into Ooley's truck before fleeing in his 2022 gray Ford F-150 and leaving the weapon at the scene. Ellis then headed for nearby South Beach Park, where he is believed to have entered the Atlantic Ocean fully clothed and swum far out, police said. Dany Ooley (left) reportedly met Mason in his car at Indian Rover County Public Library on the day of their deaths Ellis allegedly fired at least 21 shots at Mason and her lover before levaing his weapon and fleeing the scene Ooley and Mason were both longtime Indian River County employees Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey told the press at a conference last month that Ellis abandoned his car there. Police searched the vehicle and found 'several documents that were indicative of his intention to harm himself or end his life.''One of them said, "sorry, guys", and that was it. And he signed it. But there was a number of documents that were pages long, dating back to early March,' said Currey.These indicated 'his pain, wanting to crawl in a hole, can't eat, can't drink, can't sleep. That kind of thing... essentially it seemed to be a journal, leaving account numbers for his kids written down.'Police also found wet clothing, an empty holster and a .380 caliber magazine in the vehicle. Currey said that Ellis's alleged actions were a 'crime of passion.' Police believed that Ellis entered the ocean fully clothed around 11am on March 24 Police said Ellis's alleged actions were 'targeted.' Officials have called it a 'crime of passion''He executed those two individuals. Stacie, his wife, of 13 years and Danny Ooley. He executed them, without question,' Currey said. 'It was targeted. There was planning here. He had information going into it.'This wasn't just a decision overnight; there was knowledge of what was going on in his wife's life... of the affair,' he added. 'He was just furious that she was seeing another man and he couldn't live with that.'Ellis and Mason were 'in the midst of potentially separating or divorcing, and their home was getting ready to be sold.'The suspect is wanted on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder and has not yet been caught. Anyone who sees him is encouraged to call 911 and refrain from approaching him.'Ellis should be considered a threat to himself and possibly others,' police said. The Daily Mail contacted the Vero Beach Police Department for more information.
