A Florida mother claimed her neighbors were pedophiles and tried to kill them, authorities say. Instead, the deputies were ambushed.

A Florida mother whose family is accused of ambushing police officers, killing one and injuring two, tried to lure neighbors she believed to be pedophiles into a fatal trap at her home but was stopped by authorities, officials said Monday.

A search of the family’s home in Eustice, northwest of Orlando, revealed more than 20 high-caliber rifles, shotguns and pistols that were scattered around the living room, Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said at a news conference.

Authorities also found a cache of ammunition, bulletproof vests, gas masks, prepared meals, ghillie suits, anti-government propaganda and media outlets promoting conspiracy theories, Grinnell said.

“This was nothing short of an ambush, the evidence will show that,” Bill Gladson, state attorney for Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit, told reporters.

Julie Sulpizio, 48, was arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and other crimes, court records show. She is being held without bail.

Due to the nature of the alleged crime, the case must be brought before a grand jury within 21 days, Gladson said. Sulpizio’s arraignment is scheduled for September 3.

The public defender assigned to represent Julie Sulpizio could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

Her husband, Michael Sulpizio, was found dead inside the family home on Friday after Grinnell said he fatally shot Lake County Chief Deputy Bradley Link, 28, and seriously injured a second officer, Deputy first-class chef Stefano Gargano.

A third officer, Deputy Sheriff Harold Howell, was also injured in the incident.

Michael Sulpizio and the couple’s two adult daughters were found dead on the family couch, Grinnell said. The body camera of the mortally wounded deputy, who was inside the family’s home when he was shot multiple times, appeared to have captured the Sulpizios taking their own lives, the sheriff added.

The sheriff’s office first responded to the scene at 7:45 pm on Friday, when authorities were told that a woman – later identified as Julie Sulpizio – was assaulting her neighbors, whom she accused of “being sinners”, and saying, ‘I know what you did,'” Grinnell said.

After a police officer arrived, Julie Sulpizio identified herself as “Helen under the will of God” and said her neighbors were involved in pedophilia, Grinnell said. One of the neighbors told the officer that Julie Sulpizio tried to get them to walk to her house, Grinnell said, but they didn’t trust her.

In a later interview with investigators, Julie Sulpizio said she was trying to lure them to her home so her husband could kill them, Grinnell said.

“She was unsuccessful because of our deputies,” he said.

At the news conference, a detective investigating the case said he found stickers, pamphlets and leaflets promoting anti-government propaganda and conspiracy theories in the house. The detective did not say whether the material was linked to the incident.

In her interview with investigators, the detective said, Julie Sulpizio said she could “visualize souls” and that it was her job to bring “dark souls” to her husband.

After Julie Sulpizio was handcuffed, Grinnell said, officers attempted to conduct a welfare check at her family’s nearby home. Deputies found two dead dogs in the front yard and a window screen that had been kicked out, the sheriff said.

Inside, they saw three people running and believed there may have been a robbery or home invasion in progress, he said.

After about an hour, Grinnell said, deputies announced themselves and were unable to contact either side. They entered the home through a laundry room, Grinnell said, and Link’s body camera allegedly captured a man who appeared to be wearing body armor positioned with a rifle on a couch.

The shooter, believed to be Michael Sulpizio, fired several shots, striking Link in the back, Grinnell said. Howell was hit in the wrist, the sheriff said, and he and other deputies retreated.

When deputies tried to negotiate with the Sulpizios to release Link’s body, Grinnell said, a woman inside the home was captured on the deputy’s body camera putting away her gun and yelling, “My king is going to kill you all.”

Around 9:30 p.m., a tactical unit entered the same laundry room and was met with a hail of gunfire, Grinnell said. Deputy First Class Stefano Gargano, armed with a ballistic shield, was struck by several high-caliber bullets through a wall, incapacitating him, according to Grinnell.

As other deputies attempted to remove him, they were being “actively engaged by suspects,” Grinnell added, calling the officers “heroes.”

At 11:02 p.m., Grinnell said, two gunshots were heard in quick succession. A third was heard moments later.

Inside, authorities found the bodies of Michael Sulpizio and his two daughters, Savannah Sulpizio, 23, and Cheyenne Sulpizio, 22, Grinnell said.

Gargano is in stable condition and Howell is expected to make a full recovery. Link was airlifted to a hospital and pronounced dead, the sheriff said.

Link had worked for the department since 2019 and “quickly became part of our family and faithfully served our citizens with courage and zeal,” the sheriff’s office said.