PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (WPTV) — A man who police said could have become a serial killer is now under arrest for killing a 67-year-old Port St. man. Lucie last month.

Omarion Ivory, 18, faces charges of first-degree murder and armed burglary in the Sept. 8 death of Francis Gennace at his home in the 1000 block of Southeast Albatross Avenue.

Gennace’s body, however, was not found until four days later, on September 12, when his employer called the police after Gennace had not reported for work for several days.

At a news conference Thursday, Deputy Police Chief Leo Niemczyk of the Port St. Lucie said Ivory – who did not know Gennace – knocked on the victim’s door on September 8.

When Gennace answered, Niemczyk said Ivory hit the 67-year-old man with a hammer, then stabbed him to death.

“The victim had blunt force trauma to the head and multiple stab wounds. About 45 stab wounds,” Niemczyk said. “Our theory is that he uses (the hammer) to knock the victim unconscious and then stabs him.”

Ivory was finally captured 12 days later on September 20, when an alert Port St. Lucie, who was reviewing surveillance video from Albatross Avenue, connected the dots and saw Ivory trying to break into another house in another part of town.

Police quickly responded to that address and took Ivory into custody. He still had the hammer used to kill Gennace, Niemczyk said.

Niemczyk added that Gennace’s killing was completely random, and police believe Ivory was preparing to commit a second homicide of a second random victim when he was captured on Sept. 20.

“They may have had an undetected serial killer at work,” Niemczyk said. “This is extremely unusual for us. I didn’t see many of these in Port St. Lucia. It was quite worrying.”

Niemczyk added that the hammer in Ivory’s possession still had Gennace’s blood on it.

“Between September 12th and September 20th, was this person roaming the city freely?” WPTV News reporter Tyler Hatfield asked Niemczyk at Thursday’s news conference.

“Correct. That’s why this is so alarming,” Niemczyk replied, adding that there were no other murders in Port St. Lucie during that time frame.

According to Niemczyk, Ivory’s family said he has paranoid schizophrenia and that Baker has acted out several times in the past, meaning he had to undergo a mandatory mental health evaluation when he was believed to be a danger to himself himself or for others.

In addition to first-degree murder and armed burglary, Ivory faces other charges, including burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, grand theft, possession of burglary tools and loitering or loitering. He is being held without bail in the jail in St. Lucie County.

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