A Florida woman is accused of threatening to cut her ex-boyfriend days before he fatally shot his new boyfriend.
Brittany Holbrook, 33, shot Tyler Nullis, 30, in the back in the early morning hours of June 17 at their Key West home, police said.
Holbrook was drinking with a woman when he went on a violent rampage about his ex saying: ‘I’m going to kill him and take a knife to his stomach and rip him up to his throat’ in reference to his ex. .
The woman, who did not want to be identified, later told Nulish’s friend Jessica Stiegel about the comment: ‘It was like he was describing a deer breathing.’
Brittany Holbrook (L), 33, allegedly shot Tyler Nulish (R), 30, in their Key West home early June 17, police said.
Holbrook and Nulish (pictured) bond over a love of fishing, diving and their Catahoula dogs, Chief and Mossy, and seem to have a promising future, according to Stiegel.
Nulish (L) lay bleeding on his back as he told his roommate – who was trying to stop bleeding from a gunshot wound – ‘that b***h shot me in the back’, referring to Holbrook (R).
It is believed the comments were fueled by alcohol – the woman explained to Stiegel that the pair had been joking before going on a violent rampage as Holbrook continued to drink heavily.
‘They were in love. Everyone saw it. They seemed like the perfect couple,’ Stiegel told Fox News about Holbrook and Nullis – adding that Holbrook’s drinking was her fatal flaw.
The pair bonded over a love of fishing, diving and their Catahoula dogs, Chief and Mossy, and seemed to have a promising future, according to Stiegel.
According to LinkedIn, Holbrook worked as a yacht manager, while Nulich listed his work as a commercial fisherman on Facebook.
Holbrook’s social media posts on Facebook show the pair lovingly embracing each other over Christmas, and several other photos show they were close.
That appeared to change on the morning of June 17, when shortly before 3 a.m. the couple’s roommate, Jordan Keen, awoke to Holbrook screaming for help.
Nulish was lying on her back in a pool of blood when she told Keane, who was trying to stop the bleeding, ‘he shot me in the back,’ reads a police report obtained by the outlet.
Nulish, Keane and Holbrook are believed to have been drinking on their patio hours before the alleged attack.
Holbrook, reeling from the shooting, initially told the detective that he had a ‘memory gap’ but changed his story in subsequent interviews.
She claims that Nulich began attacking her ‘out of nowhere in the middle of the night by slamming her against a wall and strangling her to death.’
A woman drinking with Holbrook told Jessica Stiegel (pictured), the girlfriend of Nulish’s childhood friend, that Holbrook sounded ‘like he was describing killing a deer’ when talking about his ex-boyfriend.
Stiegel said his friends and family ‘want to clear Tyler’s name’ and several friends claimed they had seen Holbrook attack him in the past.
Holbrook’s social media posts on Facebook show the pair lovingly embracing each other over Christmas, and several other photos show them being close.
He claimed he was ‘trying to kill her’ but denied firing a gun, the outlet reported.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said her statement was ‘incoherent’ and noted there was no injury to her neck. He was arrested on one count of premeditated murder.
Stiegel said Nulish’s friends and family ‘wanted to clear Tyler’s name,’ and several friends claimed they had seen Holbrook attacked in the past.
‘He seemed very normal most of the time but when he was drinking, he would become a monster and a switch would flip, and he would start screaming and throwing things and hitting Tyler,’ Stiegel said.
Stiegel’s boyfriend is Nulish’s best friend since childhood. He added that: ‘He had the most loving, kind soul. He would never hurt her even in self-defense.’
Stiegel, her boyfriend and Keen cleaned up the crime scene and were convinced that the attack was premeditated.
Holbrook always kept a loaded gun in her purse, according to the trio, who said her purse was open and sitting in the passenger seat but her gun was not.
‘He had to go down that flight of stairs, go back to the front door and shoot her from the door as she stood behind him. That’s a lot of time to think,’ says Stiegel.
‘It was very clear that he loved her. He shouldn’t have been drinking and he had no business with that gun.’
A celebration of life for Nulish is being held at the Key Seafood Market on Stock Island Saturday at 6 p.m
Holbrook is being held on $750,000 bond by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
A celebration of life for Nulich is being held Saturday at 6 p.m. at Stock Island’s Key Seafood Market.
An online fan described Nulish as a person with a ‘beautiful smile’ that would ‘fill you with love.’
‘If you knew Tyler, you’d love him. Her beautiful smile will fill you with love and her easygoing spirit will brighten your day,’ it read.
‘He loved life for what it was and lived it to the fullest. He always said 6 inches of water in a bully boat with the Chief next to him was his perfect day.
‘He loved his annual hunting trips to Tennessee with his best friends.’
Tyler is survived by his dog Chief, parents Lisa Van Dyke and Tim Trivett, his brother Tanner Trivett and niece Ava Lynn.
‘Tyler will be deeply missed by all,’ it continued.
Holbrook is being held at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office on $750,000 bond
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