Police have released a chilling image of who they believe is suspected double killer Jesse Ellis strolling along a Florida beach just hours after he allegedly gunned down his wife and her married lover in a jealous rage.
The grainy image was captured on a homeowner’s security camera at around 11.20am on Tuesday, shortly after unwitting ‘good Samaritans’ had helped Ellis out of the ocean in the city of Vero Beach while he was complaining of cramp.
Jilted husband Ellis, 64, is alleged to have slain wife Stacie Mason, 49, and her married co-worker Danny Ooley, 56, in cold blood at around 7am, as the two were parked outside Indian River County Main Library for a hookup.
He is said to have fired at least 21 shots from an AR-15-style rifle into Ooley’s truck, killing them both, before fleeing in his 2022 gray Ford F-150 – leaving the weapon at the scene at the parking lot.
Ellis then headed for nearby South Beach Park where he is believed to have entered the Atlantic ocean fully clothed and swum far out.
Initially, cops had intimated that the suspect may have drowned or, if not, did not pose a direct danger to the public.
However, Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey said at a Friday press conference that Ellis is deemed officially on the loose, could be armed and the public should be ‘vigilant’.
He revealed officers found Ellis’s pick-up truck near the park at around 12.45am. But the suspect had by then clearly returned to the vehicle, which contained a wet pair of long camouflage shorts covered in sand and a soaked and sandy shirt.
Vero Beach Police released an image of suspected ‘passion killer’ Jesse Ellis on a Florida beach just hours after allegedly taking his wife and her lover’s lives
Jesse Ellis, 64, allegedly shot and killed his wife, Stacie Mason, 49, while she was sitting with her married coworker in a car for a hookup
They also found a .380 caliber magazine and an empty holster inside the vehicle. The police chief said any associated .380 weapon had not been accounted for.
‘Ellis should be considered a threat to himself and possibly others,’ he said.
Additionally, the truck ‘was full of stuff like he was moving’ and contained ‘several documents that were indicative of his intention to harm himself or end his life,’ Currey added.
‘One of them said, “sorry, guys”, and that was it. And he signed it. But there was a number of documents that were pages long, dating back to early March.’
These indicated ‘his pain, wanting to crawl in a hole, can’t eat, can’t eat, can’t drink, can’t sleep. That kind of thing… essentially it seemed to be a journal, leaving account numbers for his kids written down.’
Of the photo taken from video, Currey said: ‘That appears to be him. We’ve shown the photos to family and friends. He certainly could have made it back to his truck right before we located it.’
At Ellis’s Vero Beach home, Chief Currey said the gun locker was left open and there were ‘numerous firearms that he left at the house. He left his phone there, with a Post-It note and the pin number.
‘We have his passport. He’s flagged at any airport and with Homeland Security. We have his credit cards,’ said the chief.
Danny Ooley (left) was coworkers with Ellis’s wife. He was killed alongside her at 7am on Tuesday
The pair were sitting in Ooley’s truck outside Indian River County Main Library in Vero Beach on Tuesday morning when Mason’s estranged husband opened fire
Of the horror, Currey said: ‘He executed those two individuals. Stacy, his wife, of 13 years and Danny Ooley. He executed them, without question.
‘It was targeted. There was planning here. He had information going into it. This wasn’t just a decision overnight, there was knowledge of what was going on in his wife’s life.. of the affair.
‘He was just furious that she was seeing another man and he couldn’t live with that.’
Ellis had hired a private investigator and received ‘some information the night before’ the killings,’ said Currey.
He added: ‘They (Mason and Ooley) had been seen together at least twice prior to Tuesday. They met at the library the Monday before and back again on the morning of the incident. He (Ellis) knew she was seeing someone else, that’s why he hired the PI.’
Asked if Ellis could have had a second vehicle somewhere, Currey said: ‘Yes, we’re not sure where he is right now.
‘It appears he entered the ocean and came out. Based on information we have received and the photographs, was his intent to drown, which is a difficult way to commit suicide?
‘And then decided, that’s not going to work, or how he wants to do it, and then comes back to shore. Certainly, that may have been the case.’
Earlier this week, police said suspected gunman Ellis (pictured with his now slain wife) then fled the scene before vanishing near the ocean, sparking an intense search
Ooley and Mason were both longtime Indian River County employees
The new beach photo follows a previous revelation that fire and rescue made a welfare check on a fully clothed man swimming at least 900 yards out in the ocean some 90 minutes after the killings.
However, personnel in the small Zodiac launch sent out were not aware of the horror that had unfolded nearby. The man protested that he was OK and did not need help, so they left.
The victims were both highly regarded officials working for Indian River County and had been having a workplace affair for several weeks.
They had arrived separately at the library just before 7am and parked in the lot nearby. Mason exited her Volkswagen SUV and got into Ooley’s Ford Ranger pickup – only for Ellis to approach the vehicle moments later.
The horror that unfolded was captured on CCTV, which police have not yet been released.
Speaking at a press conference Wednesday, Chief Currey said the footage shows the suspect ‘coming toward the driver’s side of the vehicle and firing multiple shots and then going around to the passenger side’.
Ooley was shot first inside the truck, with multiple rounds going into the vehicle. As the gunfire continued, Mason either attempted to escape or was pulled out of the truck by the gunman.
Currey said at that briefing: ‘This was a crime of passion. Two individuals that were apparently seeing each other for a period of time and one husband being upset about it.’
Police have called Mason’s killing a ‘crime of passion.’ She allegedly met Ooley at the library many times
Ellis allegedly shot his wife amidst ‘potentially separating or divorcing’
Ellis and Mason were ‘in the midst of potentially separating or divorcing and their home was getting ready to be sold. They were conversing among themselves about separating,’ he continued.
Of the lovers, he said: ‘The library was a location where they had apparently met before. And they met again there yesterday morning and Mr Ellis was apparently aware of that.’
Both victims’ vehicles were spotted via roadside cameras coming into the city northbound just before 7 in the morning, said Currey.
Search warrants at residences connected to the suspect were carried out.
‘Investigators recovered multiple firearms and digital evidence including cell phones which are currently undergoing forensic analysis.’
He added at the time that boats and vehicles were scouring the beach, while investigators were working on retrieving video footage from home security cameras at houses and condos beside the water.
Ooley had worked for the county for nearly 25 years, rising from a maintenance worker to the assistant director of public works. Mason had spent 14 years with Indian River as a traffic analyst technician.
‘Danny and Stacie were not just employees, but colleagues and dedicated public servants who supported this community every day,’ Indian River said in a statement.
Their absence is deeply felt across out organization and the community they served.’
It continued: ‘This is not a normal day for our organization. We recognize many of our employees are grieving, and we want them to take the time they need. Supporting one another during this moment is not optional.
‘We know that Stacie and Danny would want us to continue working hard for the public.
‘We will take care of one another in the days ahead. We will check in, we will carry this weight together, and we ask for the public’s patience and understanding as our employees grieve.’
