Fla. ‘Prophet’ Charged With First-Degree Murder After Gunning Down Wife Outside Workplace
According to reports, Sylvester Ofori, 35, who leads Floodgates of Heaven International Ministries in Orlando, shot his wife Barbara Tommey, 27, outside of the Navy Federal Credit Union as she was about to enter to start her work day.
“Video surveillance shows Mr. Ofori not only shoot his wife but then stand over her body and put additional rounds into her head,” prosecutors stated, according to local television station WESH.
Tommey was transported to the Orlando Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Detective Matthew Rogers outlined during a press conference on Wednesday that the couple had been separated for three months and were in the process of getting a divorce.
Ofori was taken into custody at the apartment that the couple had shared and is now being held in the Orange County jail with no bond.
Just a day prior to the incident, he had posted to Facebook, “One thing ppl gotta understand about extremely kind, nice, loving people is that their other side is just as EXTREME (caps in original).”
Ofori had 62,000 followers on Facebook and identified himself as a “prophet.” A number expressed outrage after learning that he had murdered his wife.
“You can’t create life, neither should you take life.What you conspired to do against someone you vowed to love and protect is wicked and unfathomable. You have no right to take her life,” one wrote.
“The Bible never taught us to kill our enemies, talk of a beloved life partner. Man, you got this all wrong,” another stated. “You let your emotions have the best of you. At least you could have taken the walk. Am sorry you have to suffer the rest of your life for this stupid decision.”
“Don’t be deceived by beautiful suits and expensive clothing you see,” a third wrote. “They are many secrets behind pastors’ coats. Many pastors live in secret because they are leaders and trusted by members; they don’t open up because of being criticized. They encourage and counsel, but they have no one to counsel them because of pride and ego.”
One simply opined, “This was a false prophet. God warned y’all about false prophets. This guy deserves every pain he gets.”
Ephesians 5:25-29 teaches, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
“So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church.”