Florida Man Sentenced to Life for Fatally Severing Spine of Ex-Girlfriend’s 2-Year-Old Daughter
A Florida man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for a crime that shocked the community. 27-year-old Travis Thompson has been convicted of first-degree murder for killing his ex-girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter, Jacklyn Schwingel, just days after the breakup.
On May 3, 2022, little Jacklyn was rushed to the hospital in Tavares, Florida, with life-threatening injuries. Her mother had left her in Thompson’s care to go to work, but only 25 minutes later, Thompson called her, saying something was wrong. When the mother arrived, she found Jacklyn barely alive, with a shallow pulse and a distended abdomen.
The mother and Thompson raced Jacklyn to the hospital, but she stopped breathing along the way. Medical staff performed emergency measures, but tragically, Jacklyn did not survive.
Doctors immediately suspected abuse. The autopsy results were devastating: Jacklyn’s spine had been severed, and she suffered internal bleeding. Investigators concluded that Thompson had bent the child’s body backward with extreme force, snapping her spine far beyond its natural limits.
Initially, Thompson claimed he didn’t know how Jacklyn got hurt, but evidence proved otherwise. On June 4, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.
State Attorney Bill Gladson didn’t mince words: “This monster stole the life of an innocent child. Life in prison is too good for this kind of evil.”
Let’s remember Jacklyn—and keep speaking up for children who can’t defend themselves.
