A Florida hairstylist was stabbed to death with a steak knife by a 280-pound assailant during a violent attack inside the parking garage of a luxury apartment complex.
Hailey Hosford, 27, had just stepped out of a rental car at the Retreat at Sawgrass Village in Sunrise on Wednesday when a man reportedly charged the vehicle, ripped open the door, and fatally stabbed her – also injuring her male friend in the process, as reported by The New York Post.
The suspect, 21-year-old Jackson Julian Sagesse, was subsequently arrested and booked into Broward County Jail on charges of murder and attempted murder.
‘I just killed someone and walked away,’ he bragged to cops after his Miranda rights were read, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Post.
Just after 1.30am on Wednesday, Hosford and an unidentified male friend arrived at the parking garage at 3000 Northwest 130th avenue in a rented black Mercedes, WPLG News reported.
The 27-year-old Ford Lauderdale-based hairstylist remained in the car for a few minutes while her friend briefly went inside, planning to continue their drive shortly after.
‘He was going in there to grab some stuff, and then he was gonna take her home,’ Aubrey Rosebrock, Hosford’s friend, told WSVN News.
As she waited for her friend’s return, surveillance footage from inside the garage allegedly captured Sagesse approaching the vehicle, holding a metal object that was ‘reflecting light’ in his hand.
Hailey Hosford (pictured), a 27-year-old Florida-based hairstylist, was stabbed to death with a steak knife by a 280-pound assailant during a violent attack inside the parking garage of a luxury apartment complex early Wednesday morning
Hosford had just stepped out of a rental car in the parking garage of the Retreat at Sawgrass Village in Sunrise (pictured) when a man reportedly charged the vehicle, ripped open the door, and fatally stabbed her
The suspect, 21-year-old Jackson Julian Sagesse (pictured), was subsequently arrested and booked into Broward County jail on charges of murder and attempted murder
Unaware of the danger, Hosford began to step out of the car – only to suddenly realize that Sagesse was approaching the driver’s side.
In a panic, she allegedly tried to climb back into the car to shield herself from what is being described as a random attack, according to an arrest report obtained by WSVN.
‘She noticed he was charging her, and he forced himself into the car before she had time to shut the door,’ Rosebrock told the outlet.
Within seconds, a violent struggle erupted between the two, and police said security footage captured the suspect making repeated stabbing motions into the vehicle, The Post reported.
Hosford’s friend returned from the apartment just moments later and confronted Sagesse, who then got out of the car.
The two men quickly became entangled in a violent confrontation, resulting in the 21-year-old suspect reportedly stabbing the man in his throat.
Miraculously, the wounded friend survived the unprovoked attack and managed to escape, quickly calling police for help as soon as he was able.
Sagesse then allegedly returned to the vehicle and tried to flee the scene in the rental car, but was unable to get it moving, according to The Post.
Just after 1.30am on Wednesday, Hosford (pictured) and an unidentified male friend arrived at the parking garage at 3000 Northwest 130th avenue in a rented black Mercedes
Hosford remained in the car for a few minutes while her friend briefly went inside the apartment, but as she waited for her friend’s return, footage from inside the garage allegedly captured Sagesse approaching the vehicle with a metal object that was ‘reflecting light’ in his hand
In a panic, Hosford (pictured) allegedly tried to climb back into the car to shield herself, but was unable to shut the door. Security footage afterwards captured the suspect making repeated stabbing motions into the vehicle
Security footage also captured the suspect searching the area – seemingly looking for any evidence left behind – before eventually leaving the garage.
Before police arrived, a resident of the complex reported seeing ‘someone dead’ lying on the ground in the parking garage, NBC Miami reported.
When officers arrived shortly afterward, they found Hosford unresponsive inside the car, suffering from multiple stab wounds to her neck and throat, according to The Post.
Tragically, she was pronounced dead at 2.01am. Her friend was taken to the hospital for treatment.
‘I know she was a fighter – I believe she fought, and I believe she was scared,’ Rosebrock told WSVN.
‘She was a force to be reckoned with, she really was,’ he added.
Employees of the apartment building identified Sagesse from the security footage and provided police with the unit number of the home he shared with his mother at the complex, as reported by The Post.
When authorities arrived at his home, Sagesse was found still wearing the same clothes seen in the security footage.
Hosford’s friend returned from the apartment just moments later and confronted Sagesse, who then got out of the car and stabbed him in the throat – though miraculously, the friend survived the violent attack and called 911
When officers arrived shortly afterward, they found Hosford unresponsive inside the car, suffering from multiple stab wounds to her neck and throat. She was pronounced dead at 2.01am
Employees of the apartment building identified Sagesse from the security footage and provided police with the unit number of the home he shared with his mother at the complex
Inside the home, detectives found smeared blood on the back door and discovered that two kitchen knives – matching the description of the murder weapon – were missing.
He was arrested by police and, as his Miranda rights were read, allegedly boasted about ‘just walking away’ after killing someone.
Though Sagesse’s statements to police were reportedly inconsistent, he claimed that he was on his way to the gym when he noticed the Mercedes rental in the garage with its lights still on.
He allegedly told law enforcement that he tried to call 911 about the suspicious vehicle but didn’t have his phone, so he instead returned to the apartment, grabbed a knife and said he intended to use it for ‘personal protection’, The Post reported.
In other words, Sagesse claimed that he was ‘murdering for self-defense’, but failed to specify any clear threat that justified his actions.
He was charged with premeditated murder and attempted first-degree murder, and was booked into the Broward County Jail, where he remains held without bail.
Rosebruck recalled the final words his best friend spoke to him before she was senselessly taken from this world at the hands of a stranger, according to WSVN.
In the heartbreaking message, Hosford wrote: ‘I just wanted to tell you that the sun is shining, the sky is blue, the water is turquoise, and that I love you much, and that you mean the world to me’, as reported by the outlet.
Inside the suspect’s home (pictured), detectives found smeared blood on the back door and discovered that two kitchen knives – matching the description of the murder weapon – were missing
Sagesse was arrested by police and, as his Miranda rights were read, allegedly boasted about ‘just walking away’ after killing someone
The suspect was arrested at the complex (pictured) and charged with premeditated murder and attempted first-degree murder. He was booked into the Broward County Jail, where he remains held without bail
‘She’s not a Jane Doe, and I want the world to know what her name is and who she was,’ Rosebruck said.
‘There’s evil, and there’s good, and we lost the good,’ he added. ‘The good lost.’
Rosebruck said that when funeral arrangements are made, friends will be coming from all around the world to pay their respects.
Family members described Hosford as an expert stylist and an entrepreneur.
The 27-year-old businesswoman was the owner of a beauty salon in Fort Lauderdale and also served as a teacher and ambassador for a yoga and retreat company, The Post reported.
‘Our family is destroyed. This is beyond horrific,’ Rich Ehmke, Hosford’s stepfather, said in a statement, as reported by NBC Miami.
‘We wish this upon no family to deal with something like this,’ he added. ‘It’s really incomprehensible based on all the facts and the situation is senseless.’
‘Our prayers are with our family and we’re looking above to Hailey and it’s beyond devastation and sadness.’