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The Hilsborough County Court has denied a motion from the local Florida media requesting that the evidence in the Sonya Deville stalking case be released to the public. The evidence is listed as video footage from that night, messages sent to Deville via Instagram, photos taken outside and inside her home as well as other online communication. The court ruled on 8/24 that they would not release any evidence before a hearing.
A motion was also filed requesting confidentiality for the victims and their personal information, including Deville. In that motion, it was revealed that Deville has received additional threatening online communications "from persons unknown" since her alleged stalker Phillip A. Thomas was arrested on 8/16 inside Deville's home. It was noted in thar motion that Thomas was denied bail out of concern for Deville's safety as well as the safety of other members of her family.
Judge Catherine Caitlin ruled on 8/20 that Thomas was a threat to the safety of the community following testimony from Deville earlier that afternoon about Thomas invading her home and the hundreds of threatening messages she discovered sent to her social media accounts after authorities provided her with Thomas' name post-arrest.
Thomas has been charged with Aggravated Stalking, Armed Burglary of a Dwelling, Attempted Armed Kidnapping, and Criminal Mischief. Thomas is being represented by a public defender and has involved his fifth amendment right to remain silent. The Tampa Bay Tribune is reporting that Thomas' attorney argued that bail should be set at $2 million and that he could be electronically monitored but the court shot that down given the nature of the situation.
Tampa authorities stated that Thomas had allegedly been planning to kidnap Deville for months and drove from South Carolina to Deville's Florida home in order to do so. Around midnight Sunday morning 8/16, Thomas parked his car and found the Deville's home, cut a hole in the patio screen and remained there for hours, watching and listening through the home's windows. He entered the home around 2:43 AM after Deville went to bed, triggering an alarm by entering through a glass sliding door. Deville saw Thomas and fled the home with another person who was a guest on the property, calling 911.
When authorities arrived, Thomas was still in the home and was found "carrying a knife, plastic zip ties, duct tape, mace and other items and told deputies he was planning to take the homeowner hostage." Thomas' social media featured many references to her as well as responses to Deville and others who wrote about her. Deville testified that Thomas sent threatening messages about her, her ex-girlfriend, her mother, her father, her sisters, her niece and Mandy Rose.
Deville has since taken time off from WWE, losing a "Loser Leaves WWE" match to Mandy Rose at Summerslam.
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