No Bond For Man Who Shot Stepdaughter’s Boyfriend After Catching Them Having Sex

Posted: 9:50 pm EDT October 15, 2009
Updated: 11:43 am EDT October 16, 2009


APOPKA, Fla. -- An Apopka man accused of trying to kill his 16-year-old stepdaughter's boyfriend made his first appearance before a judge Friday morning.

Wade Edwards appeared in an Orange County courtroom for less than three minutes Friday morning. In that short time, he was denied bond by the judge and will remain in jail.

It was revealed in court that Edwards was arrested in 1992 in Saint Croix, in the Virgin Islands, for assault and weapons charges.

Police said he shot 18-year-old Julian Harp, Thursday, after he found Harp having sex with his 16-year-old stepdaughter at his home in the Emerson Park subdivision.

"He put his hands up and said, 'Please don't shoot, please don't shoot,'" said Edward Crittenden, Apopka Police Department.



After catching the couple having sex, Edwards closed the door, went downstairs and returned moments later with a gun.

"At that point, he shut the door, armed himself with a .45 caliber handgun, went back up stairs and confronted the man," Crittenden said.

Harp tried to leave the home, but Edwards shot him four times in the leg and hip as the teen was trying to put his clothes back on.

Edwards ran three blocks to a neighbor's home, but then collapsed. A construction worker nearby saw what was happening and called 911.

Harp was still in the hospital Friday morning after undergoing surgery Thursday night.

"You have nothing to say for yourself? Not one word?" Eyewitness News reporter Mark Boyle asked as police led Edwards away.

Edwards is charged with attempted second-degree murder. However, he told police he was only defending himself after the boy rushed him.

"We understand he was passionate about what he saw and was upset, but what he did was way over the line," Crittenden said.

Officials say the 16-year-old consented to having sex and her boyfriend is not facing any charges.