Arrest Made: May Murder In Altoona

    The Lake County Sheriff’s Office this week arrested an Altoona man on manslaughter charges in connection with a fatal shooting in May on East Altoona Road.  Jesse Hill, 42, resident at 19331 East Altoona Road where the shooting took place, is facing charges of manslaughter and tampering with evidence in connection with the fatal shooting of Ernie Wilburn. 
    The incident occurred on May 4, at Hill's and Wilburn's residence at 19331 East Altoona Road. Deputies responded to the home after receiving two calls from Hill, calls that reports describe as 'cryptic'.  Deputies searched a wooded area of the property, locating a Ruger .22 high-velocity air rifle, which appeared to have been recently placed due to a lack of rust.
    A following search inside the home resulted in the locating of Wilburn, whose body had been covered in a sheet with furniture pillows stacked on top of him.  Reports state it appeared the body had been relocated or moved, beyond what would have been needed to perform life-saving efforts.
    Reports state Wilburn was also was a resident at the home, and was shot after yelling from outside to be let in the home, as he didn’t have a key.  He was apparently shot through a window after Hill had become annoyed with Wilburn’s banging. 
    Witnesses said that Hill had told them he didn’t think pellets from the rifle would kill Wilburn, but rather he shot to make the victim go away. 
    An autopsy conducted the day after the shooting found a .22 caliber pellet-style projectile in the victim’s lungs.  The injury was found to be the cause of death.
    Investigating officials found that a .22 pellet travels at 1,200 feet per second, are designed for killing small animals.  By contrast, a .22 bullet travels at an average of 1,070 feet per second.
    Hill had left the Altoona home after the incident on May 4 and had been in hiding since, even though he was not being sought for arrest at the time of the incident.  On May 27, he was located at 2214 Grant Avenue in Eustis and taken into custody.  On Friday, July 8, manslaughter charges were added to the tampering charge while Hill remained in the Lake County Jail.
    He is being held without bond on charges of tampering with evidence and manslaughter. He is due back in court on August 1.