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Florida man brutally murders ex-wife after fight about infidelity, sheriff says

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A 46-year-old Florida man is being charged with second-degree murder after he brutally beat and stomped his ex-wife to death, a sheriff said.

Michael Cummings and his ex-wife, Faith L. Cummings, 44, began arguing over infidelity on Thursday in the garage of their Palm Coast home, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said.

The fight escalated with Faith L. Cummings fleeing to a bathroom. Her ex-husband — they divorced in 2015, but moved back in together to rekindle the relationship — followed her and attacked her, according to a news release.

Faith suffered multiple broken bones, including every rib with multiple fractures, as well as kicking and stomping injuries, according to the county medical examiner. Blood splatter indicated that she was hit with a weapon, investigators reported.

Her cause of death was ruled “blunt force trauma to the head with asphyxiation.”

When deputies first arrived at the home, Staly said, Michael Cummings refused to leave, and as a result he was charged with obstruction of justice. He told authorities that Faith slipped and fell in the bathtub, but by the time deputies arrived she had been dead for hours.

After realizing what he had done, he had tried to hide his crime, Staly said during a news conference.

On Monday afternoon, Cummings was charged with second-degree murder with a weapon and booked into the Flagler County Detention Facility with no bond.

“This case again proves that you never know what is going on behind closed doors,” Staly said. “Often, domestic violence is hidden from others and the victim is living with their attacker. This case shows just how fast a domestic argument can spiral out of control and into a murder.”

Michael Cummings. (Photo: WFTV.com)

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