MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A man accused of randomly stabbing a woman in her 70s to death made his initial court appearance in a Martin County courtroom Friday.
The attack occurred Thursday evening in the Southwood community in the 6000 block of Southeast Black Oak Lane, following reports of an "unprovoked attack."
WATCH BELOW: Suspect in court to face murder charge after woman fatally stabbed at random
Prosecutors said in court that the suspect, Kersten Moses Francilus, 25, was still stabbing the victim when law enforcement arrived at the scene.
"He stabbed her ... upwards of 16 times and was actively stabbing her while the responding deputy responded to the scene," a prosecutor said in court Friday. "He spoke to law enforcement and (stated) he killed her. When asked to describe her ... the only way he could describe her was that she was Jewish."
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Thursday that the victim had a "significant amount of stab wounds to the upper torso," and that a neighbor tried to intervene during the attack.
In court, prosecutors, citing the arrest affidavit, said Francilus also knocked on another neighbor's door and attempted to enter her home when she answered.
Francilus is being held without a bond and faces a charge of first-degree premeditated murder.
A judge appointed a public defender to represent Francilus.
The name of the victim has not been released.
