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Two apparent murder-suicides have occurred at the same St. Pete apartment complex this summer

 
Police found a couple dead in an apartment at the Vibe at Gateway complex. Detectives believe it was a murder-suicide, the second at the complex in about a month. [Photo from Google Streetview]
Police found a couple dead in an apartment at the Vibe at Gateway complex. Detectives believe it was a murder-suicide, the second at the complex in about a month. [Photo from Google Streetview]
Published July 14, 2018

A couple was found dead Friday night at a St. Petersburg apartment complex in an apparent murder-suicide, police said.

It is the second suspected murder-suicide at the Vibe at Gateway on 77th Avenue N in the last five weeks. The apartment complex also was the scene of a home invasion that turned deadly in February when a tenant stabbed an intruder to death.

Previous coverage: St. Petersburg police find two bodies in apartment

The bodies of Johnesia Simmons, 22, and Jeremiah Mells, 30, were found by detectives shortly after 11 p.m. Friday. Someone had requested that officers check on them.

Police said the two were in a relationship. According to a preliminary investigation, police said, Mells killed Simmons before dying by suicide. Simmons has a child who was not home at the time, police said, and is now with family members.

A neighbor on Saturday said the couple seemed nice, and that the incident was unexpected.

On June 7, police found the bodies of a man and woman in an apartment at the Vibe in what was also deemed by an early investigation as a murder-suicide.

The man was identified as Justin Page, 37. The woman was identified as Ashley Chiello, 30.

St. Petersburg police said a friend called about 9:30 a.m. that day and asked officers to check on Page, who he hadn't heard from in a couple of days.

When officers arrived at the complex, they found the bodies. There was no sign that someone had forced their way inside the apartment, police said.

The men in both cases had criminal histories. Mells has been booked into the Pinellas County Jail five times since 2008, including on charges of burglary with battery and two armed robberies. Both of the robbery charges were dropped. Page has been booked into the jail five times since 2012; he was charged with battery in 2015.

The alleged murder-suicides were preceeded by a fatal stabbing at the Vibe in February, when police said 23-year-old Zachary Shane Eggleston broke into the apartment of Jonathan Garcia and his family. According to police, Garcia and Eggleston got into a fight, and Garcia stabbed the intruder, who later died of his injuries.

Previous coverage: Police: St. Petersburg man forces his way into apartment, dies after resident stabs him

The complex is a sprawling collection of buildings sitting at the intersection of 4th Street N and 77th Avenue N, near the Gateway Market Center. On Saturday, residents were going about their business, walking in and out of the buildings' hallways or hanging out by a pool.

In the hallway by the unit where Page and Chiello were found, water pooled on the floor. At the site of Friday's incident, around the door knob of the apartment, hung a notice from a local furniture company: "We Came By Today!"

A manager could not be reached for comment.

Contact Justin Trombly at jtrombly@tampabay.com. Follow @JustinTrombly.