Inset: Timothy Hyder (Osceola County Jail/WOFL). Background: The St. Cloud community where Timothy Hyder and his wife lived (WESH/YouTube).
A man in Florida murdered his fiancee — telling her daughter, “I blew her brains out” — with a .357 Magnum revolver after she called off their wedding and gave him back her engagement ring at a football watch party on Sunday, according to police.
Timothy Hyder, 57, was allegedly drinking and watching a game with his fiancee Natalia Du’Mee at a residence in St. Cloud with several other people when she gave him the bad news about breaking off their marriage, St. Cloud Police say. The couple had been in a relationship since October 2021 and were known to “frequently fight and argue” when they drank alcohol together, according to Hyder and relatives who spoke to authorities.
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One family member, identified as Du’Mee’s daughter, told police that Du’Mee and Hyder were at the football party together prior to coming home on Sunday night — where the murder occurred — and they had been fighting throughout the day before arriving back at their residence. It’s unclear what prompted Du’Mee to break off the engagement, only that the two had alleged relationship issues for quite some time.
Once back home, Du’Mee’s daughter said she could hear her mom and Hyder fighting before the fatal shooting. “[Du’Mee’s daughter] stated she was lying in Natalie and Timothy’s bedroom watching a movie when she began to hear Natalie and Timothy argue,” Hyder’s arrest affidavit says. “Jenna stated she turned the volume up on the television so she could not hear them arguing. Jenna stated Timothy came into the bedroom and went into the closet. Jenna stated she left the bedroom thinking that Timothy was getting ready for bed. Jenna stated shortly after leaving the bedroom she heard a loud noise. Jenna stated she went downstairs and observed Natalie bleeding from her head and mouth.”
Hyder, who also spoke to police about what happened, said what he ended up grabbing out of the closet that night was his .357 revolver, which he used to kill Du’Mee by shooting her in the head, according to police. He allegedly confessed to the murder, saying his fiancee had “pushed” him — literally — too far, per the affidavit.
“Timothy stated when they would drink alcohol they would get into arguments,” the affidavit says. “Timothy stated while at the party they began to argue, and Natalie told him that she was not going to marry him. Timothy stated when they arrived home, they sat on the back porch talking about their relationship. Timothy stated they continued arguing and Natalie was pushing him and reiterated that she was not going to marry him and gave him the engagement ring back.”
It was at this point that Hyder told police he walked inside, retrieved his .357 revolver and then returned to the back porch to see if Du’Mee really meant what she said.
“Timothy stated he asked Natalie if she was sure that she was not going to marry him and she stated yes,” the affidavit says. “Timothy stated he, ‘Put one right in the back of her head.”” Hyder said he didn’t even hear the gunfire, according to police.
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“Timothy stated he placed the revolver back in its holster and told [Du’Mee’s daughter] to call 911,” the affidavit concludes. “Timothy stated he walked outside waiting for law enforcement to take him into custody.”
When cops arrived, Hyder allegedly told them he wished he could take back what occurred and that he “snapped.” A search of his home later led police to finding his gun “in plain sight” and charging him with second-degree murder, according to court records. Hyder was booked on Sunday and remains behind bars without bond.
