A 27-year-old Ocala man who broke a toddler’s spine, leading to her death, will spend the rest of his life behind bars after jurors found him guilty of first-degree murder this week.
On Wednesday, a Marion County jury deliberated for nearly two hours before finding Travis Ray Thompson guilty in the murder case of two-year-old Jacklyn Schwingel. Following the verdict, Judge Barbara Kissner sentenced Thompson to life in prison.
“This monster stole the life of an innocent child, and today, the justice system made sure he will never walk free again,” said Bill Gladson, State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit.
Back on May 3, 2022, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office received reports from AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, Florida, in reference to a toddler – later identified as Schwingel – who was transported to the emergency room in critical condition. After life-saving measures were taken, she was pronounced deceased.
The MCSO Major Crimes unit responded to the hospital and began investigating Schwingel’s death.
According to MCSO, an investigation revealed that Schwingel had been physically abused while in the care of Thompson, which resulted in the toddler’s spine being “completely severed.”
Thompson told law enforcement that he was in another room when he heard a loud noise. He stated that he then found Schwingel, and she was unresponsive and taking shallow breaths.
According to MCSO, Thompson did not immediately call 911. Instead, he waited approximately 30 minutes for Schwingel’s mother to arrive before driving to the hospital.
Prior to arriving at the hospital, Schwingel’s mother realized that the toddler was no longer breathing, and she instructed Thompson to call 911.
On September 1, 2022, the Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Schwingel’s cause of death was “traumatic injuries to (her) torso with a severing of her spine and internal bleeding behind her organs.”
Due to the severity and nature of the injuries, MCSO investigators determined that Thompson had applied significant, gradual force to Schwingel’s upper and lower body. As a result, the toddler was bent backward beyond her natural range of motion until her back broke.
On September 8, 2022, Thompson was taken into custody for further questioning. When asked about the findings of the investigation, Thompson claimed that he did not know how or why Schwingel was murdered.
Thompson was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail, where he remained in custody while awaiting trial.
This case was investigated by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and it was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Amy Berndt and Sasha Kidney.