‘I could be dead’: Woman held hostage by suspect in double homicide
By Rachael Perry
Click here for updates on this story
PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida (WPBF) — A 77-year-old woman says she is the luckiest person in the world after surviving being held hostage by a man accused of murdering two of their neighbors.
The Port St. Lucie Police Department responded to the Tropical East community of Port St. Lucie for reports of a shooting. According to the PSLPD, a neighborhood dispute resulted in three deaths after 62-year-old Paul Maraio shot two of his neighbors before turning the gun on himself.
Before shooting himself, officials said Maraio barricaded himself inside a home where he held a woman hostage. WPBF 25 News spoke with the woman, Suzanne Rothermel, who lives across the street from the suspect.
Rothermel said she was on the phone when Maraio came running into her house.
“When he ran in here, and I thought that was strange because he’s not allowed to come into my house, so I thought something bad had happened. He said, ‘Quick, close the door, the garage door.’ I thought something bad had happened outside,” Rothermel said.
She said Maraio then told her he had shot two of their neighbors.
“I just didn’t know what to think. I thought maybe an accident somewhere, but I never guessed it was him shooting somebody until he told me that he shot them, and then he put the two little guns on my kitchen counter,” she said.
Rothermel was terrified she’d be next, so she followed his demands. She said Maraio took her phone from her and demanded she sit down.
“At first, I was scared. But then, after a while, I just, I don’t know, I just, I wasn’t afraid anymore. I just figured, if he’s going to kill me, what can I do? I can’t run out, because he’ll shoot me anyway,” she said.
She said she knew the victims well and was aware of the issues happening between them and Maraio.
As for why he allegedly shot them on Monday, Rothermel said Maraio told her he had just been evicted.
“We never knew when he was going to snap, so we always said someday he’s going to blow, but we never thought it would be this bad,” Rothermel said.
Rothermel said it felt like he’d be holding her hostage for three hours, and she began losing hope. However, Maraio finally decided to let her go.
“Finally, he said, ‘Okay, we’re going to go out the back patio and you’re going to go first and then I’ll follow.’ I didn’t think at the time that he was behind me; he could have shot me then, but I just wanted to get out. So Penny and I got out the door, and he said to them, ‘Don’t shoot her, she’s coming out.’ So I got out, and they quickly grabbed me; I almost fell. They pulled me back, and he wasn’t behind me,” she said.
Officials got Rothermel and her dog, Penny, to safety while they continued working to get Maraio to surrender.
However, according to the PSLPD, Maraio turned the gun on himself. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Rothermel went back to her home on Tuesday to get some of her belongings and walked in to find blood on the ground, a bullet hole in her living room chair, and food from her refrigerator left on the counter.
The front of her home was also severely damaged from investigators attempting to make contact with Maraio.
Despite the mess, she said she feels like the luckiest person in the world.
“I’m the luckiest person in the world right now because I could be dead. I could be dead. He could have just turned on me in a second,” she said.
With Penny by her side, Rothermel said she’ll eventually return home.
“This is my home. All my friends are here and I can’t let him win,” she said.
Rothermel said she’s still struggling to process that her two neighbors were killed and said they were always kind and would often look out for her.
“Oh, my God, they didn’t deserve any of this. I still can’t believe that they’re not here,” she added.
The PSLPD has not released the names of the two people killed.
This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.