According to a press release from Dave Bristow, spokesman for the sheriff's office, at approximately 6:00 p.m. Thursday evening, deputies responded to a fatal stabbing at 1248 Whitfield Avenue, Bradenton. When deputies arrived, they discovered that William Thomas Howery, 37, (DOB 2-10-71), of Pinellas County, Florida, had been stabbed in the parking lot of the business named Royale Relaxation, a lingerie showplace where men watch girls model lingerie, allegedly for the sexual pleasure of the men.
Howery was transported to Bayfront Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
Witnesses told deputies that prior to the stabbing Howery called Royale Relaxation to talk to his girlfriend, who apparently works at the establishment. The wife of the man who allegedly killed Howery, who also apparently works there, answered the phone and got into an argument with Howery. Howery then showed up at the business. When Howery showed up at the incident scene, he had an infant boy, just over one-year-old, with him.
Howery then got into a verbal altercation with the killer's wife in the parking lot.
The alleged killer, later identified as Carlos Viera, 31, of nearby 1280 Whitfield Avenue, Bradenton, got wind of the verbal altercation between Howery and the woman and showed up in the parking lot, where he stabbed Howery in the chest.
Howery was holding his infant son at the time. Howery stumbled away a few feet and then collapsed, dropping the baby. EMS checked out the baby, who appeared to be okay.
Subsequent investigation at the scene provided detectives with the possible suspect, Viera, who was located at around 8:45 p.m. at a convenience store in the 5300 block of 34th St. W., Bradenton. Detectives interviewed Viera, who was then charged with Murder in connection with the stabbing. He remains in the Manatee County Jail on a $50,000 bail bond.
At this time, there is no indication that the victim and suspect knew one another prior to the incident.
The mother, Howery's girlfriend, who works at Royale Relaxation, is allegedly the mother of the infant boy.
The infant was turned over to a family member, presumably the mother, by investigators