On June 29, Timothy Kydd, 33, of Ocala, was sentenced to life in prison for the attempted second-degree murder of a female victim he met on an online dating site in 2019. He was sentenced as a Habitual Felony Offender, a Habitual Violent Felony Offender, and a Prison Releasee Reoffender.
On May 10, 2023, Timothy Kydd was convicted of attempted 2nd-degree murder by a jury. He was convicted for an incident that took place on August 17, 2019, at the Freedom Gardens Apartments in Brooksville. He attacked a woman hitting her in the head with a hammer when she ordered him to leave her apartment. She had recently met Kydd on an online dating site. Her seven-year-old child was in the apartment during the attack. Kydd was observed by witnesses fleeing the scene following the attack. He also left his backpack with identification at the apartment.
The hammer attack resulted in multiple skull fractures, including an orbital and a cervical fracture. She had to be transported to an area trauma center. The victim’s identity was not released because of Marsy’s Law.
On August 18, 2019, law enforcement managed to locate Kydd at his mother’s house in Ocala, where he was taken into custody.
While in custody, Kydd has been involved in several incidents which have led to additional charges.
On July 18, 2020, he was charged with criminal mischief because he set off a sprinkler flooding his pod. On March 17, 2022, he pleaded no contest to the charge.
On Feb. 17, 2022, he mailed a letter to Judge Merritt, which contained a bomb threat to the courthouse resulting in an evacuation. The search of the courthouse found a suspicious item that was determined to be safe. Kydd acknowledged that he sent the letter from the detention center. Kydd was charged with making written threats to kill/injure and making a threat to throw/place a bomb.
On Feb. 19, 2022, Kydd was charged with Battery on a law enforcement officer due to him elbowing a detention deputy in the face. On the same day, he was charged with criminal mischief for setting off a sprinkler and flooding his pod again. On Dec. 6, 2022, he pleaded guilty to both charges.
In connection with these additional cases, Kydd was sentenced on two counts of ‘Interfere with Fire Suppression Equipment’ and one count of ‘Battery on a LEO.’ Kydd received an additional five years for each count, which will run concurrently with his life sentence.
Kydd initially pled no contest to the attempted second-degree murder charge but withdrew the no-contest plea in June of 2022 to plead not guilty. According to documents filed by Kydd’s attorney, “Mr. Kydd stated that he felt pressured and coerced at the time that he entered the plea and that the plea was involuntary. Specifically, Mr. Kydd stated that he entered the plea only after statements were made by the state attorney and the court regarding possibly arresting his mother to ensure her appearance at trial in compliance with a subpoena by the State.” He also withdrew the no-contest plea as a psychological evaluation on May 11, 2022, determined that Mr. Kydd was insane when he committed the offense.
