(File Photo: Lawrence Florentine/Caldwell County Jail mugshot)
A South Carolina man has been sentenced in federal court for the murder of his wife, whose remains were found in a Fredonia cemetery.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, Lawrence Joseph Florentine was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for interstate domestic violence resulting in his wife’s death, among other charges, followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $5,800 in restitution.
On June 13, 2020, shortly after 6:30 that evening, Kentucky State Police Post 2 was asked by the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office to look into human remains found in a shallow grave on Hill Cemetery Road in Fredonia.
According to police, evidence from the investigation revealed that starting in December 2019, Nicole Rene Florentine made multiple 911 calls in York, South Carolina, reporting that her husband, Lawrence Florentine, had physically abused her and threatened her life. Lawrence was reportedly arrested twice for domestic violence charges. On May 23, 2020, police said their home in Rock Hill was destroyed by fire, and Lawrence sent angry messages indicating he intentionally set the fire to destroy Nicole’s belongings. Police indicate arson charges are pending in South Carolina.
On June 13, 2020, police said a groundskeeper at Hill Cemetery in Fredonia found what looked like a makeshift grave. Caldwell County Sheriff’s deputies recovered a partially charred female body from the grave, along with a gas can nearby. Police said an autopsy revealed that Nicole’s death was a homicide from a .22 caliber bullet wound to the head. This portion of the investigation was led by Post 2 Detective Jacob Fortney.
Police said witnesses reported seeing Lawrence’s car near the cemetery before Nicole’s body was found, and a store clerk confirmed Lawrence bought a gas can and shovel on June 11, 2020. Security footage reportedly showed him filling the gas can shortly thereafter.
Lawrence fled to Denver, Colorado, where he was arrested on June 23, 2020. Police said he discarded evidence during his travel, including the firearm used to kill Nicole. Prosecutors asked for a higher sentence due to his efforts to obstruct justice.
In 2022, Lawrence tried to dismiss the murder charge, arguing Kentucky lacked jurisdiction. Prosecutors pushed for federal prosecution due to the interstate nature of the crime. In October 2022, Commonwealth’s Attorney Carrie Ovey-Wiggins told WPKY’s News Edge that Lawrence’s murder case in Caldwell County was dismissed because of a federal indictment for the same offenses in South Carolina.
In October 2023, Florentine pleaded guilty in federal court in South Carolina to interstate domestic violence resulting in death, use of a firearm during a crime of violence to cause death, obstruction of justice, and use of fire during the commission of a felony.
In a release on Friday, Captain Derek Smith of KSP Post 2 commended Detective Fortney and other investigators for their work on the case involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
