Windermere rallies around Savey family

The town of Windermere continues to reel from the tragedy that rocked the West Orange town last weekend.

Two residents were killed and one woman seriously injured overnight Thursday, July 30, in an apparent burglary and battery in the gated Lake Crescent Reserve community in Windermere.

At about 11:09 p.m., a 10-year-old boy, who lives at the home with his grandparents, called 9-1-1 to report a burglary while he hid in a bathroom.

According to Windermere Police Chief David Ogden, the suspect, Ezekiel Emanuel Hopkins, 34, attempted to steal a vehicle from the home. The homeowners, John and Lisa Savey, confronted the defendant; Hopkins attacked and killed John Savey with a baseball bat. Lisa Savey retreated into the house and yelled for her grandson to get to a safer part of the house. Hopkins followed her inside and attacked her. Then, Hopkins attacked John and Lisa Savey’s son, James Savey, the boy’s uncle, and killed him inside the home. Lisa Savey survived the attack; she was transported to the hospital, where she was admitted with serious injuries. She is in stable condition.

Officers from the Windermere Police Department, Ocoee Police Department and Oakland Police Department, as well as deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the burglary in progress. The joint team began communicating with Hopkins through a closed door and made a decision to enter the home through a bathroom. Hopkins was located and arrested. He was transported to Health Central Hospital; he appeared to have ingested bleach and was not responsive at the scene.

Hopkins has been charged with two counts of murder and aggravated battery.

“It’s a horrific situation,” Ogden said. “This is a small, quiet town. Certainly, we do not have a lot of crime, but we are not immune to crime. We know that crime has happened here in the past and unfortunately, has reached our doorsteps one more time. We don’t know why he did what he did. I just couldn’t tell you.”
 

COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER

Most residents — including Troy Schmidt — weren’t aware of the situation until the morning after the crime.

Schmidt, campus pastor at Family Church — Windermere Campus, awoke to texts about the news.

“The minute you hear, you immediately try to picture the situation, and it’s so shocking to think about it — to know that John tried to confront the attacker at the door of his house,” Schmidt said. “That’s the John I know — someone who would stand up and defend and risk his life for his family, all of those things are very characteristic (of him).

“What’s hard to imagine is him lifeless and not a part of this earth anymore,” he said. “I immediately thought of Mason, Lisa and Ashley — who is their other daughter — and I just immediately could feel the weight and hurt of what they were going through.”

The Saveys are longtime members of the church, and they always had a spot where they sat every Sunday for services, Schmidt said.

Almost immediately, the church set up a page on takethemameal.com to find people to donate meals to the Savey family — who have seen many relatives steadily arrive to the home. Within the span of an hour, all 22-possible reservations were filled, which continues through Thursday, Sept. 10.

“That says something about people really wanting to help, but beyond that, the focus is healing,” Schmidt said. “First, of all we want to make sure Lisa gets the best medical treatment she is able to … and then there is the emotional, mental and spiritual healing that need to occur. These are things that are hard to do anything about, except to be available and to pray.”

Along with the help from the church, Windermere Little League — for which Mason Cardy plays — teamed up with Orange County Public Schools to set up a fundraiser for the family.

Krista Kirk — who serves on the PTO at Windermere Elementary and vice president of operations for WLL — said a single fund will make it simpler for people to donate. 

“We decided, ‘Well let’s just put as much money we can into this one fund and allow them to draw it out for whatever purposes they need it for — whether it’s Mason’s education or groceries,’” Kirk said. “We just didn’t want to do 15 different funds; we thought if we could lump it into just one that that would just be so much easier for the family.

“We just want to kind of get this family set up here,” she said.