JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – News4JAX on Friday obtained the arrest warrant for a man charged with murder and attempted murder in the stabbings of two women at a Westside Jacksonville apartment.
The stabbings were reported Aug. 13 at the Addison Landing Apartments Homes on 103rd Street. Through investigative efforts, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said, Travis Thompson was identified as a suspect and arrested.
The arrest warrant details a breakup right before the stabbing happened. According to court documents, one of the two women stabbed, Caresse Evans, was a woman who has a history with Thompson, and the two share a young daughter.
The partially redacted arrest warrant states that Evans, Thompson and another woman were on the balcony talking about their breakup. One woman — it’s unclear who — left to take a shower while the other continued talking to Thompson. That’s when, the report states, the suspect “snapped” and pulled out a box cutter, hitting one of the women in the face with it.
The police report said there was a struggle to remove the box cutter from the suspect before he pulled out a bigger knife and stabbed the women multiple times.
Police said Thompson said something similar to “I just killed this (expletive), and I’m about to kill myself.”
In talking with police, the report states, Evans said Thompson has a history of domestic violence and has been abusive to her in the past.
JSO obtained surveillance video that showed Thompson entering the apartment around 2:30 a.m. and then leaving an hour later with the knife in hand, the report states.
Court documents showed that Thompson and the two women weren’t the only people in the home at the time of the stabbing. There was another man, who called 911, and six children, who were unharmed.
According to the police, one of the children did witness Thompson leaving the apartment with a knife in his hand. She was unable to identify Thompson at the time, but advised police that he gave her $100 before leaving the scene.
During the investigation, a victim told police that Thompson has a history of abuse and domestic violence.
News4JAX spoke to Thompson’s first cousin, Bianca Johnson, who filed a petition for indefinite custody, citing concern for the child’s safety and stability.
Johnson told News4JAX she didn’t know the details of the stabbing but recalled domestic incidents between Thompson and Evans. We asked if Johnson knew the woman who died, and Johnson said she was always happy and a good parent.
After multiple surgeries, on Aug. 17, Evans posted on Facebook that she was “stabbed 10 times.”
In a comment under one post about the woman who died, Evans said “we loved that girl to death. I really wish people would understand that,” saying that woman and the woman’s daughter were in Evan’s family since she was 14.
We also received a statement from someone who knew the woman who died:
“She was a great person and an even better mother. She has a very big personality and a great spirit. For someone to take her life so senselessly, just sucks.”
We reached out to Evans for a comment and didn’t hear back by publication of this article.
Records show Thompson was also served with an arrest warrant in 2021 for stabbing a woman with a screwdriver. He had an outstanding warrant in Clay County for domestic battery as well.
Thompson is being held without bond, and his arraignment is Sept. 20.