A 47-year-old man Apopka man who broke into his victim’s home and stabbed him to death pled no contest to two charges Thursday and was sentenced to 40 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Joseph Michael Lynch was adjudicated guilty of Second-Degree Murder and Burglary with Assault or Battery by Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark and sentenced to 40 years on each charge, to be served concurrently. The burglary and stabbing took place at the victim’s home on Ormond Avenue in Springfield on July 3, 2026.
“This was a senseless and violent attack, and for the family members of the victim we are glad that justice was quickly served,” said Prosecutor Peter Overstreet. “The family agreed with the plea and the 40-years in prison which essentially is a Life sentence for this defendant.”
At sentencing the victim’s wife, who was home with the couple’s young daughter and who witnessed the killing, said the loss of her husband is a void that can never be filled.
“This loss has shattered this family completely; we have no sense of safety anymore, not even in our own home,” she told Juge Clark. “The quiet hours of the night are filled with painful memories and recurring trauma. I relive that night all day every day. Kenny didn’t die once, he dies every day 100 times a day for each of us.”
She no longer feels safe in her home, suffers from PTSD, and said the murder forever changed the lives of the families of all involved.
“I go to sleep and wake up without my husband, the person I was supposed to grow old with, have a life with which we had so many plans,” she said. “Our house is no longer a home, and we no longer live we just exist.”
Overstreet was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence proving Lynch went to the victim’s home late on the evening of July 3, 2026. Lynch and the victim, Kenny Ashbey, 33, had a disagreement days earlier over the title to a vehicle.
Armed with two knives, Lynch broke in the victim’s door and attacked him, stabbing him multiple times. The victim’s wife, young daughter and three other adults were in the home. The defendant took their cell phones before fleeing.
The defendant left on foot, telling several bystanders outside to call 911. When Springfield police arrived, witnesses told them the defendant was laying in the driveway a few houses down.
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When officers approached Lynch, he said, “I did it,” as he was taken into custody.
Investigators recovered one knife inside the home near where the victim collapsed, and another outside.
Basford thanked the Springfield Police Department for its investigation that helped lead to a successful outcome. For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.