John Jefferson
Inset: Richard Raciak (Orange County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The home where Raciak shot his girlfriend in the back and claimed he was acting in self-defense (Google Maps).
A 50-year-old man in Florida may spend the remainder of his days behind bars for shooting his girlfriend in the back multiple times then claiming he was acting in self-defense.
Ninth Judicial Circuit Judge Barbara J. Leach ordered Richard Raciak to serve a sentence of 25 years to life in a state correctional facility for the 2023 slaying of 46-year-old Allison Sheehan, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show. The sentence was handed down after Raciak in December formally pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder with a firearm for killing Sheehan, who was also the mother of his child.
Following Sheehan’s murder, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office issued a news release stating that Raciak admitted to shooting her but “claimed it was self defense when he shot Allison when her back was to him.”
According to a probable cause affidavit, deputies at about 12:39 a.m. on April 16, 2023, responded to a home in the 2800 block of Smithfield Drive. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said they found an adult female — later identified as Sheehan — who was in the master bedroom of the residence and had apparently sustained multiple gunshot wounds. She was immediately transported to Osceola Regional Hospital for treatment, where she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.
Raciak was located on the scene and transported to Hunter’s Creek Emergency Room for treatment after he complained of being severely dehydrated.
Investigators made contact with Raciak’s father, who had been at the couple’s home earlier in the day to celebrate the birthday of Raciak and Sheehan’s son. He left the home at approximately 3:30 in the afternoon. However, at around 10:30 that evening, Raciak’s father said he began receiving text messages from his son regarding a violent encounter between Raciak and Sheehan.
“Allison was attacking me I had to fire shots,” a message from Raciak to his father read. “I had to put her down Self defense. Only choice I had. Waiting on cops.”
In other messages, authorities said Raciak asked his father and brother to get cash from his safe and sent them a photo of Sheehan’s dead body.
After being released from the hospital, detectives interviewed Raciak, who explained that he and Sheehan had been together for about eight years. He said that during their son’s birthday party, Sheehan consumed excessive amounts of alcohol. That evening, he claimed that they got into an argument and Sheehan attacked him and tried to “claw” his eyes out.
He claimed that Sheehan then pushed him into a dresser, knocking him to the ground, per the report. Raciak then said that he went to the bedside table and removed his .40 caliber handgun from a biometric safe.
Raciak told investigators that he wanted to “put her down,” and tried to shoot Sheehan in the leg so she would “chill,” but he accidentally “aimed high” when he fired the four shots at her. Raciak also admitted that Sheehan was facing away from him and walking in the opposite direction when the shots were fired, the affidavit stated.
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