An 83-year-old man was arrested on an attempted second-degree murder charge after a stabbing at Rebecca Towers, a senior housing complex in Miami Beach, on Aug. 4.
Amelia Sola-Ortiz, an asset manager for the housing authority, had gone to John Gula’s unit to address a failed inspection and the condition of the apartment. Security footage obtained by NBC6 shows the two speaking outside the unit for several minutes alongside Gula’s girlfriend before the attack.
Without warning, Gula reaches into his pocket and pulls out what appears to be a folding knife, then lunges at Sola-Ortiz and begins stabbing her repeatedly. She tries to back away but is struck multiple times in the chest and head. Sola-Ortiz managed to grab the knife from Gula and toss it down the hallway as he closes in. The confrontation also shows Gula’s girlfriend attempting to restrain him as Sola-Ortiz fights to escape.
As she staggered away, Gula lunged from behind for a second weapon, prompting another intervention from his girlfriend. Sola-Ortiz eventually fled to a neighboring apartment, where the resident called 911 and allowed her to stay inside until officers arrived. Responding officers found her unresponsive and bleeding heavily from the chest and head. She was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition and underwent emergency surgery.
Investigators located Gula minutes later in his girlfriend’s seventh-floor apartment. He had changed pants and was still wearing a U.S. Navy shirt stained with blood. A subsequent search of the apartment uncovered Sola-Ortiz’s bloodied glasses, blood droplets in the shower and sink, and Gula’s original pants soaking in a bucket of pink-red liquid.
Court records indicate Gula is a military veteran originally from Washington state and had no prior criminal history in Miami-Dade County. He remains at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond as the investigation continues.
The case, which relied heavily on security footage and on-scene forensic observations, is under active review by local authorities. While the incident has drawn attention to the safety and monitoring of senior-public housing, officials have not provided additional details on potential systemic changes. The broader community is watching closely as investigators pursue additional facts surrounding the attack and its circumstances.