A Miramar man charged with murdering his father-in-law by hitting him in the head with a clothes iron and stabbing him with a butcher knife remained behind bars Tuesday.
Thomas Stovall, 49, was being held without bond in the Sunday night killing of 79-year-old George Belfond.
According to an arrest report, officers found Belfond's body in a blood-splattered room at a home in the 6700 block of Arbor Drive just before 10 p.m.
When officers asked Stovall's wife what happened, she told them her husband had gotten into a fight with Belfond, her stepfather, after she confronted Belfond about hitting her mother, the report said.
The wife said Stovall grabbed the iron and held it over his head in a threatening manner, and Belfond grabbed the knife, the report said.
Belfond approached Stovall, who struck him several times in the head with the iron until he dropped the knife, the report said.
No witnesses reported seeing the stabbing but hospital personnel told police Belfond was stabbed 15-16 times, in addition to a skull fracture, the report said.
According to the report, when Stovall was in custody, he admitted to stabbing Belfond and hitting him with the iron.
"I've had enough! He is abusive towards my wife, towards his wife, and towards my kids and I've had enough of it!" Stovall said, according to the report. "Tonight he was arguing with my wife and when I went in the bedroom I saw him come at her with a knife so I grabbed what I could, an iron, and hit him with it. When he dropped the knife, I picked it up and I stabbed him with it."
It was unknown whether Stovall has an attorney.
