Man guilty of five counts in Orlando branch-cutting attack

A man who attacked three Orlando residents with tree branch cutters faces life in prison after being found guilty on five counts Friday.

An Orange County jury found 52-year-old Lyndell Demps guilty of robbery, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

On June 15, 2023, Demps entered a home on Mallard Pond Road, northwest of downtown Orlando, and demanded money from a man, his wife and her mother.

Law enforcement recovered surveillance video that showed Demps attacking the man with long-handled tree branch cutters, resulting in injuries to his face and hand. Video used during the three-day trial also showed Demps threatening two other victims and preventing them from calling 911. Orlando police responded to the call.

Orange County sheriff’s deputies arrested Demps after he later broke into a day care center, they said. He matched a description in the home invasion report and was identified by a victim. During a jailhouse interview, Demps told law enforcement that he was under the influence of drugs and needed money.

The attack came seven months after Demps was released from prison after serving more than 25 years for attempted car theft in 1996. He is considered a habitual offender, a habitual violent offender and a repeat offender on parole.

Sentencing is scheduled for June, when he could face life in prison.