Murdered Hawthorne Man’s Suspected Killer Charged

PUTNAM COUNTY ‒ Mathew Daniel Temael, 23, an inmate in the Putnam County Jail, has been charged with the first-degree murder of Louis Stackhouse, 69, of Hawthorne. Temael has no known address.

On March 5, emergency crews responded to a mobile home fire at 115 Cottonwood Drive, Hawthorne. A body was found in the master bathroom of the home and was later identified as Stackhouse. The death was later ruled a homicide.

At the time of the fire, neighbors told deputies a 2008 Silver Saturn Sky was missing from the home. On March 10, the car was found in Tampa. Police attempted to perform a traffic stop, the driver refused to pull over, and officers used stop sticks to affect the stop.

Temael and a woman exited the car and began to run. Both were caught and arrested on the charge of grand theft and were transferred to the Putnam County Jail. The woman, Tatiana Munioz, was released on bond.

The fire at Stackhouse’s home was determined to be arson. Putnam County Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach held a press conference on Sept. 11 to announce the arrest in the case.

The sheriff says the victim sustained several stab wounds and the fire was an attempt by Temael to cover up the murder.

While the sheriff did not detail how Stackhouse, a sex offender, and Temael knew each other, he did clarify that Temael was not one of Stackhouse’s victims.

DeLoach indicated that Temael was always a person of interest, even prior to Tampa Police stopping the car. He also said that they are still looking at Munioz to determine if she was also involved in the murder.

“While I do not condone Mr. Stackhouse’s prior crimes, I cannot allow murderers to roam free,” said Deloach. “Mr. Stackhouse’s family and friends deserve closure and justice, and I am proud of my detectives for this incredible effort and to give his family some peace of mind.”

Temael is being held on no bond at the Putnam County Jail on charges of homicide and arson and $250,000 each on vehicle theft and burglary.

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