Six deputies fired after fatal failures in Mary Gingles case
A South Florida sheriff’s office has dismissed six more deputies and disciplined 11 others due to their handling of the case of Mary Gingles, a woman investigators say was murdered by her estranged husband after she had warned officers for months that she feared he would kill her. Two officers had previously been dismissed for their involvement in the case.
An internal investigation determined that several Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies inadequately investigated Gingles’ reports of domestic violence committed by her husband, Nathan Gingles, before he allegedly executed the triple homicide of his wife, her father, David Ponzer, and her neighbor Andrew Ferrin, as the Gingles’ four-year-old daughter pleaded with her father to stop.
Nathan Gingles has pleaded not guilty. If found guilty, he could face the death penalty.
The killings — despite Mary Gingles’ repeated requests for assistance — have shaken the South Florida community of Tamarac and intensified scrutiny over the officers’ failure to utilize the state’s red flag law to confiscate firearms from individuals considered a danger to themselves or others.
Acting on threats that Mary Gingles had consistently reported, on Feb. 16, 2025, Nathan Gingles fatally shot his father-in-law while he was having coffee on the back patio of the family’s home, before pursuing Mary down the street and killing her along with Ferrin, a neighbor whose home she fled to, according to investigators.
“We had numerous opportunities to protect Mary in the months before her death when she informed us about the domestic violence she was experiencing. The deputies and detectives assigned to these cases did not adequately apply their training and ultimately failed to handle Mary’s repeated pleas for help with the necessary urgency,” Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony stated in a statement.
According to an investigation by the Miami Herald, in the year leading up to her murder, Mary Gingles confided in friends, family, and law enforcement personnel that she feared her estranged husband would kill her.
He consistently violated restraining orders preventing him from accessing the family’s home, terrorizing his wife by placing a tracker on her car and leaving a backpack filled with supplies like duct tape and zip ties in the garage, the investigation revealed.
Gingles’ alleged actions in the months leading up to the killings corresponded with what experts identify as known risk factors for further abuse, including lethal violence. According to a Department of Justice analysis of a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more female intimate partners are killed by firearms than by all other means combined.
“One of the most critical steps to prevent lethal violence is to disarm abusers and ensure they remain disarmed,” the Justice Department’s report stated.
___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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