A former Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been found guilty of manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of his girlfriend in September 2024.
On Wednesday, Leslie Boileau’s trial came to an end when the six-person jury found him guilty of manslaughter with a firearm. Marion County Court records show that a sentencing date has not been scheduled yet.
Back on September 19, 2024, Ocala Police Department officers responded to a residence located in southeast Ocala, in the Highlands area, in reference to shots being fired. When the officers arrived at the home, they discovered an adult female victim – identified as 25-year-old Polina Wright – who was deceased from an apparent gunshot wound to her forehead, according to OPD.
The police department stated that a 9mm handgun was observed on Wright’s lap, and a rifle was nearby.
According to police, Wright’s boyfriend, identified as Marion County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Leslie Boileau, had contacted law enforcement advising that he “accidentally shot his girlfriend.”
While speaking with officers, Boileau claimed that he was “handling and dry-firing” several firearms with Wright when the accidental shooting occurred. He was taken into custody for further questioning.
OPD stated that Boileau told investigators that after returning home from dinner, he opened a package of gun cleaning supplies with Wright, and they both began cleaning their firearms. He claimed that while “demonstrating the use of a rifle,” he accidentally fired a loaded round, which struck Wright’s forehead.
In a social media post, OPD said that a search warrant at Boileau’s home “corroborated his account with physical evidence found at the scene.”
Boileau was arrested and booked into Marion County Jail. He remains in custody while awaiting his prison sentence, which is expected to be at least 10 years due to the mandatory minimum penalty for his charge of manslaughter with a firearm.
Following Boileau’s arrest, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office terminated his employment. According to MCSO, Boileau had served as a deputy sheriff for 8 years.
According to her obituary, Wright was a graduate of Citrus High School and earned her associate’s degree at the College of Central Florida. She worked as a bookkeeper in Citrus County before moving to Ocala in 2021, where she continued to work in the industry. Her family says she was poised to transition into a career as an optometrist tech and had plans to return to school at CF to further her education and one day work as a Radiology Technologist. She is survived by her parents and five siblings, as well as multiple nieces and nephews.