CONCH KEY —
— A simmering feud over money and unrepaired lobster traps exploded in violence Sunday evening when a woman denied a beer pulled a gun and killed a Keys fisherman, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
Carolyn Dukeshire, 62, was charged with first-degree premeditated murder after she allegedly fired five shots into Martin Mazur minutes after he and a friend returned to Mazur's home about 6 p.m.
Paramedics took Mazur, 64, to Fisherman's Hospital in Marathon, where he died, said spokeswoman Becky Herrin.
"She came up and asked for a beer, and he said, 'I have nothing for you,'" said Casey Whippo, 30, Mazur's partner in a lobster business.
She then opened fire with a handgun, he said. After the first shot, Whippo told investigators, Mazur stood up and told his friend to call police.
As Mazur tried to walk away, Dukeshire fired several more shots, striking Mazur in the back, abdomen and wrist, according to deputies.
Whippo said he grabbed Dukeshire by the arms and held them above her head, but she was still able to toss the gun into the canal next to the backyard tiki bar where the men had been sitting.
After he called 911, Whippo said he ordered Dukeshire to sit and wait for police while he tried to stop the flow of blood from his friend's wounds. "I applied pressure, but he was passing in and out of consciousness," said Whippo. "There was a lot of blood."
From her seat on a lobster trap, Dukeshire said, "Mazur is dead," Whippo told deputies.
Whippo said the feud between Mazur and Dukeshire began about a year ago after she failed to repair traps, a job for which he had already paid her.
Dukeshire once fished for lobster herself before becoming disabled, said Whippo.
The regular lobster season begins Aug. 6. But the death of his partner, and the crime scene tape around their traps, puts his season in doubt, said Whippo.
He said Mazur had no known relatives.
"This is a major tragedy," said Whippo. "We lost a smart, unique individual. He was my best friend. I'll never forget him."
Dukeshire is being held without bond in the Monroe County jail.
SOURCE: SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL
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