Slain Tamarac Mother Warned Husband Would Kill – and Police Say He Did
A Tragic Warning Unheeded
Mary Catherine Gingles saw it coming. For over a year, she had warned Broward County judges that the husband she was divorcing was going to kill her, obtaining two domestic violence injunctions that, in the end, could not shield her from bullets.
The Fateful Morning
Early Sunday morning, police say 43-year-old Nathan “Bo” Gingles went to the Tamarac home where Mary Catherine, 34, and their 4-year-old daughter, Seraphine, lived, in violation of that latest injunction. There, he shot and killed his father-in-law, 64-year-old David Ponzer, and then hunted down Mary Catherine as she banged on neighbors’ doors frantically seeking help, the sheriff’s office said.
A Deadly Chase
He finally did what she said he was going to do inside one of those homes, shooting and killing her and the man who answered the door, 36-year-old Andrew Ferrin, and letting her in to see what the problem was.
A Fugitive
The problem, police say, was Nathan Gingles, who snatched up Seraphine and fled to a Walmart parking lot in North Lauderdale, where he was arrested and Seraphine was recovered safely.
A Father’s Descent into Madness
Ex-military, owner – his wife claimed – of 20 firearms, including assault rifles with suppressors, Gingles wasn’t so loud and proud in family court Monday. Appearing in handcuffs and shackles, wearing maximum security inmate clothing, Broward Circuit Judge Hope Tieman Bristol had to admonish him to speak up when he announced himself: “Nathan Gingles,” which he pronounced “JING-ulz,” before adding his biological role: “father.”
A Father’s Fate
To be determined: whether that father will ever see his daughter again. “Mr. Gingles has no contact” with Seraphine, Bristol ordered. “That means through no third party, social media, relative, friend — no contact with the child. You understand sir?” Gingles replied, “I do, your honor.”
The Fate of Seraphine
The fate of their now-motherless daughter lies in the courts, after Seraphine was placed in a foster shelter home. The alleged killer asked that a cousin of his be allowed to take care of the child, but the judge put off any such decision until DCF and the girl’s legal advocates can investigate that and other options and, if appropriate, recommend a change in placement for the child.
A Family in Shambles
There was no mention of any surviving relative on the mother’s side of the family, with her father also killed. According to court records, the couple met in 2016 and married two years later, moving to Germany, where Seraphine was born in August 2020. They returned to the States in 2023 and rented the house in Tamarac.
A Pattern of Abuse
It was last February, after Ponzer traveled to Florida to be with his daughter, that she finally summoned the courage and found the opportunity to take action against the violent, drug-using, controlling, abusive husband she would describe in court papers. She obtained a domestic violence injunction against him in February 2024 and filed for divorce 11 days later.
Harbinger of Doom
She reported then that he was recently “up all night snorting Adderall and was in a drug-induced state acting bizarre in the morning,” singing “a made-up song about how he was going to kill the mother and get away with it and how no one would find her body.” “I live in constant fear of my husband,” she stated in the petition for injunction. “He will snort Adderall and stay up all night while Sera and I try to sleep. He has left lines of crushed Adderall on his dresser” before heading to work as an IT technician, earning $187,000 a year with a military contractor serving the Southern Command in Doral.
Conclusion
The case of Mary Catherine Gingles and her tragic fate serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of domestic violence and the importance of taking action to protect oneself and others from abuse.
FAQs
* What happened to Mary Catherine Gingles?
Mary Catherine Gingles was shot and killed by her estranged husband, Nathan “Bo” Gingles, along with her father and another man.
* What was the warning Mary Catherine gave her husband?
Mary Catherine had warned her husband that he was going to kill her, obtaining two domestic violence injunctions against him. She claimed that he was violent, used drugs, and was prone to making threats against her.
* What happened to Seraphine, the 4-year-old daughter?
Seraphine was placed in a foster shelter home after her mother’s death. Her father, Nathan Gingles, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder. The judge ordered that he have no contact with his daughter.
