Charles “Chuck” Antonio Finch Jr., a 28-year-old Black man born and raised in Orlando, Florida, was a beloved father, son, and friend. Remembered for his connection to his family, Chuck is survived by his mother, Gail Trumpler, his father, Charles Finch, Sr., and his two daughters, Chastity and Cassidy. He was born on October 11, 1986, and his life was cut tragically short in the summer of 2015, leaving a void in the lives of those who knew him.
In the early morning hours of Saturday, July 18, 2015, violence erupted in the parking lot of the Tymber Skan on the Lake condominium complex, a troubled area off Texas Avenue in Orlando. Around 1:15 a.m., an altercation broke out between Charles Finch and another individual.
According to witnesses who spoke with the Orange County Sheriff's Office, a third man intervened in the fight, pulling out a gun and shooting Finch.
The witness described a harrowing scene: the gunman fired a single shot, causing Charles to fall to the ground. The assailant then reportedly waited for about 30 seconds before firing several more shots at Charles as he lay wounded. After the shooting, the gunman fled the scene. Deputies arrived to find Charles suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to the Orlando Regional Medical Center, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the homicide was handled by the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Detectives quickly identified a suspect in the killing: 18-year-old Malcolm Spitzer. The day after the shooting, the Sheriff's Office announced they had issued a warrant for Spitzer's arrest, cautioning that he should be considered armed and dangerous. For more than seven months, Spitzer managed to elude authorities, his whereabouts unknown.
The search for the suspect came to an end on Friday, February 26, 2016. After months on the run, Malcolm Spitzer, then 19, was located and taken into custody. He was booked into the Orange County Jail without bail. Prior to his capture, a grand jury had already indicted him in October 2015 on a charge of first-degree murder for the death of Charles Finch.
Following his arrest, Spitzer was held in custody awaiting trial for the murder of Charles Finch. The case against him was based on witness testimony identifying him as the person who stepped into the fight and shot Finch. The community, which had been plagued by violence—including another homicide at the same complex just two months prior—was left waiting for justice.
The case of Charles Finch's murder highlights the devastating impact of gun violence on families and communities. While an arrest was made and charges were filed, the path to resolution through the justice system remained. As of the latest available public information from early 2016, the case against Malcolm Spitzer was pending in the court system. Anyone with information regarding the case was asked to contact the Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.
