Years of documented aggression
Court files reveal that the defendant’s legal troubles trace back to at least 2018, when his adoptive mother reported being pushed by him. In another incident the following year, the father said he slept with his bedroom door locked in fear.Despite repeated interventions, no long-term resolution appears to have been reached.
- 2018: Police were called after Dima allegedly pushed his mother.
- 2019-2020: Multiple emergency calls and arrests related to violent behaviour.
The Tower family adopted Dima in 2016, when he was 14 years old and had been living in a Ukrainian orphanage characterized by neglect and instability. One relative described the trio as “the only ones who ever truly tried to help him” and could not understand how gratitude could turn into so much violence.
The crime and the chase
On the night of August 31, 2023, a neighbour reported hearing screaming and banging at the front door of the Tower residence. When officers arrived at the home on Mallicoat Road in North Port, they discovered the couple’s bodies lying head-to-head and covered in blood. Dima fled in a vehicle, leading law enforcement on a pursuit that crossed county lines until spike strips disabled the car on Interstate 75. He then fled on foot into wooded terrain and was apprehended the next morning at a nearby gas station. Prosecutors have charged him with two counts of murder and fleeing the scene.
Trial underway — plea offer and debate
As jury selection gets underway, defense attorneys have offered to plead to manslaughter in exchange for a 40-year sentence. Prosecutors rejected that offer, insisting they would seek life in prison rather than accept a reduced plea. The outcome may hinge on how the court weighs Dima’s history of violent behaviour, his upbringing, the adoption context and the circumstances surrounding the fatal attacks.
