Counting 'em Down: For better or for worse, this is the Headline Surfer countdown of 2021's Top 100 biggest news stories of Central Florida along the tourism-driven stretch of Interstate 4 (Orlando Attractions and east to I-95 & the World's Most Famous Beach in Daytona). Each recap segment is posted with its own headline, culminating with the unveiling of No. 1, before switching to the Top 5 storylines -- the good, the bad & the ugly on the horizon in "2022: The Year That Lies Ahead."
Photos for Headline Surfer / Above: Steve Tilbury, 26, of Leesburg, is shown in his jail mug, initially charged with felony battery in the alleged metal baseball swing to the head of co-worker Charles Cummings, 50, of Deltona, on Nov. 23, 2021, at Ritchey Automotive dealership in Daytona Beach, Florida where both men worked. A week later on Nov. 30, Cummings died in the intensive care unit at Halifax Health Hospital and Tilbury was subsequently charged with second-degree murder with a deadly weapon.
Editor's Note (correction/apology): An image of the wrong Steve Tilbury was posted here and has since been taken down. The pic removed is of Steve Tilbury, 49, who does remodeling work in the Orlando-Daytona-Clermont as well as closer to home in Sebring, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. from South Florida is NOT the accused killer. Headline Surfer apologizes to Mr. Tilbury and those he is associated with through his work.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- There are few sounds worse than that of a metal baseball bat swing made directly to the head of a human being by another and crushing the skull.
That brutal scenario occurred for real the night of Nov. 23, 2021, when Steve Tilbury, an employee of Ritchey Autos on North Beville Road, Daytona Beach, retrieved a metal baseball bat from the back of his pick-up truck, walked into the car dealership, and up to a co-worker, 50-year-old Charles G. Cummings, who was seated at his desk doing paperwork. He then took a wild swing with all his might, according to shocked co-workers, connecting the fat end of the bat with the side of Cummings' head - causing the thud sound of the bat cracking the skull as the victim fell to the floor.
Several co-workers who were nearby tackled Tilbury and wrestled the bat from him while another called 9-1-1.
Cummings, a Deltona resident, bleeding profusely from a large laceration, was transported as a trauma alert - life on the line - to Halifax Health Hospital where he died a week later.
Tillbury, 26, of Leesburg, initially arrested on a felony charge of aggravated battery, saw his charge upgraded to second-degree murder with a deadly weapon. A warrant for his arrest on the upgraded charge was served on him at the Volusia County Jail in Daytona Beach on Dec. 1.
Police later determined the deadly confrontation stemmed from an angry exchange between Stillwell and Cummings, the day before at the dealership, leading to the deadly confrontation, but did not elaborate in the arrest affidavit.
Here is a synopsis of what occurred, according to Daytona Beach police:
Tilbury drove to the dealership at 932 N. Nova Road and pulled up to a maintenance bay on the morning of Nov. 23. Tilbury pulled his truck into the dealership’s maintenance bay and grabbed the bat from his truck bed. Witnesses told police Tilbury then walked up to Cummings as he was doing paperwork at his desk and, unprovoked, struck Cummings on the side of the head with the bat.
During an initial interview with police, Tilbury claimed Cummings had attacked him with a knife during their earlier confrontation. But there were no corroborating witnesses cited in the arrest affidavit.
Tilbury was placed under arrest on the day of the attack and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. A charge of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon was substituted a week later when Cummings died in the hospital. He was served with a warrant signed by a judge accusing him of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon.
Update on the Criminal Case:
Steve Tilbury was held for 71 days behind bars at the Volusia County Jail in Daytona Beach before finally making bail. At his Dec. 17 arraignment before Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano, Tilbury pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder with a deadly weapon. If convicted, Tilbury could face a sentence of up to life in prison. He is represented by private defense attorney Michael Lambert of Daytona Beach. A pre-trial was held in January, but an actual trial date has not yet been scheduled.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.