Fatal stabbing mars Key West’s Fantasy Fest
A Key West man died early Saturday morning after a Broward County man fatally stabbed near busy Duval Street.
Nicholas Ferro, 23, allegedly stabbed Marques Butler, 23, of Key West around 4 a.m. on Oct. 31 near the intersection of Caroline and Simonton Streets. Alyson Crean, a spokesperson for the Key West Police Department initially described the altercation as a fight between a group of "Key West residents and a group of men from out of town." She later told EDGE there are indications the altercation potentially began after someone began to take pictures of someone’s girlfriend.
The KWPD arrested Ferro yesterday, and local prosecutors have charged him with second degree murder. He remains in custody at the Monroe County Detention Center.
Butler’s death came at the height of Fantasy Fest, a series of parades, street parties and other events traditionally held during the last week of October. Up to 70,000 Fantasy Fest revelers descend upon Key West each year, but Crean told the Key West Citizen crime during the week-long event is rare.
"In the 30 years of Fantasy Fest we’ve never had a homicide," she said. "In fact, this is the first homicide to occur in Key West, at any time, in several years."
