British estate agent shot dead by former tenant

A British estate agent working in Florida has been shot dead while preparing to show a property.

Sara Trost, 40, was from Southend in Essex.

She was shot on Christmas Eve while sitting in her Jeep outside a house in Coral Springs, 40 miles north of Miami.

Trost was married with a three-year-old daughter: she owned the business after working as an interior decorator.

Raymond Reese, 51 - a former tenant of Trost - has been charged with first-degree murder. It is reported he may have mistaken Trost for his current landlord, with whom he has been having a dispute. 

A local police spokesperson says: “Following an extensive investigation, Raymond Wesley Reese has been charged with first-degree murder. Reese is currently being transported to the Palm Beach sheriffs office for processing.”

Emergency services tried to save Trost’s life on the property driveway, but she died before she could reach hospital.

The police statement goes on: “When officers arrived, they discovered a vehicle with one female occupant in the driver’s seat suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite immediate medical treatment, the driver succumbed to her injuries on scene and was pronounced dead.”

The Times newspaper reports that she had shared opinions on social media about the Parkland high school shooting, in Florida in 2018.