A video of a fight between two young girls in Tampa, Fla., has outraged parents and law enforcement officials.

Viewed thousands of times since it was posted to Facebook, the video shows a 7-year-old girl knocking a 6-year-old girl off an air conditioning unit, and then beating her on the ground, while being encouraged by her older sister. The date the video was taken is unclear.

Authorities got involved after a woman in Georgia saw the video online and alerted police, NBC affiliate WFLA in Tampa reported.

“I think anybody that would see this would be shocked,” Tampa Police Major Brian Dugan told WFLA. “The behavior of the 7-year-old and the 14-year-old to encourage this, and it’s wrong.”

The two girls are friends, WFLA reported, and they regularly spend the night at each other’s homes, which is why the father of the 7-year-old says he was stunned and angered by the video.  

“I couldn’t watch no more, especially when I heard the child say leave me alone, stop, stop, stop,” the father told WFLA, adding that he immediately punished his 7-year-old daughter and is still upset at his 14-year-old daughter. “I am disappointed in her. She made a mistake. I can't hold it against her ... but to me she made a big mistake to the point I am still mad at her."

The 6-year-old’s mother told the station she didn’t plan to press charges, but the state attorney’s office has taken over the case. The teenage girl does not have a criminal past, and police say she may go through a counseling program as a result of the incident, WFLA reported. 

The father of the girls said he hope hopes his daughters learned a lesson.

"That won't happen again, you can believe that, you can believe that won't happen again, and I apologize to the parent. It just happens it is a messed up situation,” he told WFLA. 

Meanwhile, Tampa police say they don't know who posted the video to Facebook but are trying to figure out how to stop people from viewing the it online, WFLA reported. 

“We have reached out to Facebook and asked them to remove the video,” Dugan said.

Crews began demolishing a Florida home Sunday that is perched over a huge sinkhole, after deeming it too dangerous to keep searching for the man swallowed up from his bedroom.

Rescue workers on Saturday had called off their search for 36-year-old Jeffrey Bush, who had not been heard from since the hole appeared at about 11 p.m. ET Thursday in Seffner, near Tampa.

“Unfortunately we have not been able to determine the whereabouts of Mr. Bush,” Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill said. “With all the equipment that we brought in and specialized help, we have just not been able to locate Mr. Bush, and so for that reason the rescue effort is being discontinued.”

Authorities have said the hole, which was originally about 30 feet deep, was “seriously unstable.” A 100-foot safety zone was set up around it Friday and homes near the hole were evacuated for fear of a sudden collapse.

Scott Audette / Reuters

Demolition crews and Hillsborough County Fire Department watch as the house, where Jeffrey Bush was swallowed by a sinkhole, is demolished in Seffner, Florida March 3, 2013.

The sinkhole now poses a safety risk to the residence next door, said Hillsborough County Fire Rescue public information officer Ronnie Rivera at a noon press conference on Saturday. Family members would be allowed to enter briefly along with emergency personnel to recover belongings, Rivera said. 

The demolition started at around 8:30 a.m. Sunday, and wrapped up for the day at about noon. It was expected to resume again on Monday. 

Related: A broken home full of memories

Authorities were able to retrieve a few personal belongings from the destroyed house for the family, including photographs, a Bible and even the wood address marker from the front of the building.

A second family in an adjacent home began moving their possessions out on Saturday afternoon as authorities struggled to get an accurate read on just how large the sinkhole is.

Authorities brought in heavy equipment to demolish the home from outside the perimeter of the sinkhole, which Merrill said extends down as much as 50 to 60 feet.

“We’re dealing with a very unusual sinkhole,” Merrill said. “It’s very deep, it’s very wide, it’s very unstable.”

On Friday, Jeremy Bush spoke tearfully about how he tried to save his brother.

"I couldn't get him out," he said. "All I thought I could hear was him screaming for me and hollering for me, but I couldn't do nothing."

Jeremy Bush was saved from the hole by Hillsborough County sheriff's Deputy Douglas Duvall, NBC station WFLA reported.

'Really shocking'

 Neighbors told NBC station WFLA.com of their surprise.

"It's just really shocking," said Kevin Charles, who lives two houses down from the Bush’s house. "It kind of worries me because … it could have been any one of these houses along this side over here.”

"I think the issue now is everyone in the area is going to sit back and wonder whether should get sinkhole insurance," said neighbor Steve Hamlyn. "Because we really didn't see a need for it until now."

While some in the neighborhood did not know of the risks, sinkholes are common in Florida, The Associated Press reported, and home insurers are required by law to provide coverage for the sudden disaster.

Florida’s geological makeup increases the likelihood of sinkholes, and more than 500 have been reported in Hillsborough County since 1954, the state’s environmental agency told the AP. A monster 400-foot sinkhole that sucked in a house, five sports cars, two businesses and part of a swimming pool appeared near Orlando in 1981.

"You can almost envision a piece of Swiss cheese," Taylor Yarkosky, a sinkhole expert from Brooksville, Fla, told the AP. "Any house in Florida could be in that same situation."

At a press conference at 8 a.m. ET Saturday, fire officials announced they had set up an email address, accessible at www.firefighter-relief.com, for anyone wishing to send message of condolences or donations to the family.

NBC News' Gabe Gutierrez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Slideshow: Striking sinkholes: Earth opens up

Luis Echeverria / AP

A look at some of the most amazing sinkholes around the world.

Launch slideshow

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Videos: Sinkholes in the news

This story was originally published on Sun Mar 3, 2013 9:58 AM EST

Ethan Miller / Getty Images file

Radio talk show host Bubba the Love Sponge, the performing name used by Todd Alan Clem, is shown attending the Adult Video News Awards Show on Jan. 12, 2008, in Las Vegas.

When a Florida shock jock threatened to "deep fat fry" a Quran earlier this year, Gen. John Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, and CIA Director David Petraeus both reached out to Tampa socialite Jill Kelley to help tamp down what they saw as a potential threat to the safety of U.S. troops, according to emails released by the city of Tampa.

In the emails, Kelley -- indicating she was acting at the behest of the high level U.S. government officials -- asked Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn to intervene and get the radio disc jockey to stand down.

"I have Petraeus & Allen both emailing me about getting this dealt with," Kelley wrote to Buckhorn in a March 7 email. The day before, Kelley mentioned similar requests to Buckhorn from both Allen and Vice Adm. Robert Harward, deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command in Tampa. "I just got off the phone with Gen. Allen & Adm Harward," she wrote. "I'm going to need your assistance, vice versa with the potential crises we'll be dealing with."

The emails offer a new glimpse at Kelley's relations with top  U.S. military officials -- as well as Petraeus, who had by then left the military to take the helm at the CIA -- shortly before she went to an FBI agent to complain about anonymous harassing emails she was receiving. The resulting FBI probe into what was initially viewed as a potential case of "cyber-stalking" led to Petraeus’ resignation as CIA director and triggered a separate investigation by the Pentagon inspector general into what has been described as "potentially inappropriate" email correspondence between Allen and Kelley.

Numerous government and law enforcement officials have told NBC News that the FBI investigation revealed that Petraeus' biographer, Paula Broadwell, had sent the threatening emails and that agents subsequently uncovered evidence that she had an extramarital affair with Petraeus.

Newer emails to Buckhorn also show Kelley's anxiety as the scandal broke last week and the media descended on her home.

/

Jill Kelley leaves her Tampa, Fla., home on Tuesday.

"Can you help out with obstruction by the paparazzi, since they're blocking our driveway, and continue to trespass on my property," she wrote Buckhorn on Tuesday. "My kids are scared and need their 'home' back."

In other emails to Buckhorn, Kelley referred to numerous social events with generals from Central Command – and referred repeatedly to Petraeus and others. One also described a post-election visit to the White House, just before the scandal broke.

"ps I'll be in DC this weekend with Petraeus, but let's set up a double date when I return!" she wrote to Buckhorn on Oct. 9, 2011. The next day, she added, "I'll be sure to send the Director your regards --should be another fabulous weekend in DC."

On Nov. 24, 2011, she wrote: "We just got back from spending the weekend with the Petraeus (it was Dave's 59th Birthday) and he said to send you his best! :) "

On Jan. 13 of this year, she wrote to an aide to Buckhorn: “I’m up in DC having dinner tonight with Gen. Petraeus and Gen. John Allen (he replaced Petraeus as the Commander in Afghanistan.)”

The email correspondence included an effusive account of a dinner with the king of Jordan, Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein. “The King and his sister (the Princess) are awesome people!” Kelley wrote to the mayor on May 16, 2011.

Kelley also sent a formal invitation to a party in her honor at the U.S. Central Command  on April 19 -- forwarded by Centcom's chief of protocol.

 "Vice Admiral Robert S. Harward, Deputy Commander, United States Central Command request the pleasure of your company at a ceremony in honor of Mrs. Jill Kelley," the invitation reads in part.

 A military source said the party honoring Kelley was to formally give her the title of "Honorary Ambassador to the Coalition" -- a certificate given to private citizens who are "friends" of the base. Kelley used the title in her later email correspondence: "Today, I will be hosting a group of VIPs visiting from Afghanistan Pakistan Nepal, here by the authority of the State Department," she wrote Buckhorn on May 14. "As the Ambassador to the Coalition, I will taking them to Centcom with the great assistance of Gen. Mattis & Adm Harward." (Marine Gen. James Mattis is the commander of U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base.)

Broadwell, Kelley both were repeat White House visitors, official says

Kelley’s access to the military elite continued right up to this month. On Nov. 8 — just a day before Petraeus resigned as CIA director -- she emailed Buckhorn: “I was at the WH with my friends in the Administration this weekend—the stress was surreal! But glad POTUS has been re-elected!”

Kelley's emails referring to the comments about burning the Quran by the Tampa shock jock, known as "Bubba the Love Sponge Clem," reflected a genuine concern among U.S. military officials that they would endanger U.S. troops, a U.S. military official told NBC News. At the time, there were riots and deaths in Afghanistan over the burning of Qurans by U.S. soldiers.

 "It was absolutely a concern," Lt. Col. T.G. Taylor, CentCom spokesman, said in an interview. Taylor said he personally called the disc jockey and told him, "Look Bubba, somebody's going to get hurt if you do this." He was "completely reasonable and said he understood," Taylor added.

Buckhorn, the Tampa mayor, told Kelley when she emailed about the issue that the city's police chief was handling the matter, but added: "This Bubba the Love Sponge is a complete moron." 

For his part, the disc jockey told the Tampa Bay Times that he abandoned his plans to “deep fat fry” a copy of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, at the request of local law enforcement and credited Kelley’s role: “Probably she did get Intel to have me stop it, and that’s the problem itself,” he said. 

More from Open Channel:

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Audiotapes of several 911 calls placed by Florida socialite Jill Kelley as the media descended on her Tampa home show she complained about what she considered trespassing on her property and attempted to invoke diplomatic-type privileges.

“I am an honorary consul general, so I have inviolability,” Kelley told a 911 dispatcher. “They should not be able to cross my property. I don’t know if you want to get diplomatic protection involved as well?”

A South Korean official confirmed to NBC News that Kelley is an honorary consul for South Korea, but said she has no diplomatic immunity. He said Kelley assists the consulate based in Atlanta on occasion with things like passports and visas but is not an employee. 

The U.S. State Department said Kelley has no formal affiliation with that U.S. agency.

“I can assure you that she does not work for the State Department and has no formal affiliation with the State Department,” State Department Spokesman Mark Toner said.

In other calls to Tampa police, Kelley said strangers had entered through a gate and were bashing on her door, trying to push it open. In another call, Kelley said at least 10 people were blocking her alley so she couldn’t get into her driveway.

Kelley, 37, became involved in the scandal that led to the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus after complaining to the FBI about anonymous, threatening emails she received.

Her complaint touched off an investigation that uncovered an apparent affair between Petraeus and his biographer, Paula Broadwell.

During the investigation, the FBI traced the allegedly threatening emails to Broadwell.

Kelley and her husband, who is a surgeon, are close friends of the Petraeus family. She has been a volunteer social liaison to the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, often hosting parties for top brass.

On Wednesday, a Department of Defense official confirmed to NBC News that Kelley’s special access to the base, which she had been granted due to her participation in community outreach events, has been suspended. Now, if she wants to enter the base, she must go in like any other individual and show her ID and get a daily pass. The official said the reason for the suspension is because she is part of an ongoing investigation. 

The investigation also uncovered emails between Kelley and Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, which a Defense Department official described as "potentially inappropriate."

But another defense official told NBC News on Tuesday that the emails had been misconstrued.

“There was no affair,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. 

It also emerged this week that Petraeus and Allen had intervened in a Washington, D.C., custody battle in September that involved Natalie Khawam, Kelley's twin sister.

As FBI investigated Petraeus, he and Allen intervened in nasty custody battle
 Defense official fires back, denies Afghanistan commander exchanged 'inappropriate' emails

They wrote letters on behalf of Khawam, who was found by a judge to have "severe personal deficits in the areas of honesty and integrity."

In an interview with TODAY, Kelley’s brother, David Khawam, threw his support behind Kelley.

“My sister, number one, is a mother. She has three kids. She’s extremely dedicated to those kids. Number two, she’s a wife. She’s extremely dedicated to her husband. And he to her,” he said. “This is something that’s going to brand her for life.” 

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Updated at 11:27 p.m. ET: As Isaac lashed south Florida on Sunday, the tropical storm threatened to make landfall later this week as a hurricane in New Orleans on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s near destruction of that historic city.

Although the worst seems to have passed in Florida – a relief to Republicans planning their national convention – officials in Key West ordered visitors and residents to remain indoors as the storm moved through the island chain.

“You’ve chosen to remain in the Keys during this storm and the only safe place for you to be is indoors,” said Monroe County Emergency Management Director Irene Toner. “Stay off roads and don’t go outside.”

300-mile stretch of Gulf Coast on alert after 'huge storm' Isaac drenches Florida

As of 11 p.m. ET, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour, was about 75 miles west, southwest of Key West, moving west, northwest at 14 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. said.

Isaac caused weekend havoc in Cuba, where it downed trees and power lines. Before that, Isaac was blamed for seven deaths in Haiti.

Forecasters warned that Isaac could be upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane – capable of sustained winds of 96-100 mph – as it hits the northern Gulf Coast somewhere between Florida and Louisiana later this week.

The governors of Mississippi and Louisiana declared a state of emergency as officials prepared for Isaac.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal urged residents in low-lying areas of several southeastern parishes to voluntarily leave ahead of the storm. He said mandatory evacuations would likely be ordered on Monday. The governor also activated 4,000 National Guard troops and informed other states that Louisiana might need assistance if hit by Isaac.

"We’re all going to err on the side of being overprepared," Jindal said. He added that he may skip his speaking engagement at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., this week if his state is still threatened by the storm.

In the city of New Orleans, which was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago, Mayor Mitch Landrieu also declared a state of emergency. "I'll remind everybody that we thought Katrina would be a wind and rain event," Landrieu said.

"Residents should be frightened because we have issued a State of Emergency," Mississippi Gov. Bryant said. "However, I urge individuals and families to finalize their personal preparedness efforts. Review your family communication plan, make sure your emergency supply kit is fully stocked and know where you will go if you need to evacuate."

The National Hurricane Center on Sunday evening discontinued a hurricane warning for the Florida Keys and west coast of Florida, but issued a hurricane warning hurricane for the northern Gulf of Mexico coast from the New Orleans area to the Florida Panhandle.

In South Florida, three people were killed in two separate crashes due to wet roads, reported NBC News affiliate NBCMiami.com. The first crash involved a head-on collision, which killed both drivers, and in the second, the car plunged into a canal and the driver drowned, officials said.

Some minor flooding and power outages were reported in the Florida Keys but with the worst seemingly over, South Florida officials were relieved as Isaac shifted west. "We prepared for the worst and for us it's a relief," Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez  said, according to NBCMiami.com.

Related: Follow Isaac's path with our storm tracker
Related: Live updates and analysis from weather.com

Dr. Rick Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center, said forecast models “can drive us nuts sometimes” but they play an important role for guidance.

“It’s still very uncertain where the center of Isaac will come ashore in its final landfall in the northern Gulf,” Knabb told the Weather Channel on Sunday, “and that can make all the difference as to who gets the strongest winds, who gets the strongest storm surge.

“Gradually, we’re seeing (Isaac’s) inner core develop. We’re certain it’s going to be a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico,” Knabb said.

Cancellations and shutdowns
The Republican Party said it would recess its national convention in Tampa for a day out of safety concerns as the storm bore down. Republicans, who will formally nominate Mitt Romney as their presidential candidate for the November election, will briefly convene their four-day meeting on Monday, then recess until Tuesday. 

“When she storm passes and the sun comes out it’s going to be great to be in Tampa,” Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said.

Related: Republicans effectively cancel first day of convention 

Gulf of Mexico oil operators braced for the first hurricane to affect the U.S. oil patch in 2012. Officials said the storm could shut down more than half of U.S. offshore oil output. Isaac's more westerly expected track brings it closer to the heart of the U.S. offshore oil patch, which produces about 23 percent of U.S. oil output and 7 percent of its natural gas output

Airlines are preparing for Isaac’s impact on Florida by waiving fees for changes and refunds for flights into and out of south Florida. Additionally, airlines on Sunday canceled most of south Florida operations.

Key West airports were closing Sunday night and most operations in and out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale were canceled until noon Monday, according to FlightAware.com. Airlines are not expecting long-term impact in Florida from the storm and should be operating normally by late Monday once airplanes, crew and staff are back in position. 

More than 740 flights to, from and within the United States were canceled Sunday in preparation for Isaac, with the bulk of the cancellations at Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Meanwhile, the Sunday night performance of classic rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd at Tampa’s American Action Network Pavilion at Liberty Plaza was canceled over safety concerns.

Old hat for locals
Key West locals followed time-worn storm preparedness rituals while awaiting the storm.

On Saturday, a steady line of cars moved north along the Overseas Highway, the only road linking the Florida Keys. Residents boarded up windows, laid down sandbags and shuttered businesses ahead of the approaching storm. Even Duval Street, Key West's storied main drag, was subdued for a weekend, though not enough to stop music from playing or drinks from being poured.

Slideshow: Isaac tracks toward Florida

Alan Diaz / AP

Tropical Storm Isaac rakes the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba as it makes its way toward Florida.

Launch slideshow

"We'll just catch every place that's open," said Ted Lamarche, a 48-year-old pizzeria owner visiting Key West to celebrate his anniversary with his wife, Deanna. They walked along on Duval Street, where a smattering of people still wandered even as many storefronts were boarded up and tourists sported ponchos and yellow slickers.

"Category None!" one man shouted in a show of optimism.

Related: Weather Channel slideshow: The Wrath of Isaac

The Keys were bracing for storm surges of up to four feet, strong winds and the possibility of tornadoes. The island chain's two airports closed Saturday night, and volunteers and some residents began filing into shelters.

"This is a huge inconvenience," said Dale Shelton, a 57-year-old retiree in Key West who was staying in a shelter.

The Associated Press, Reuters and NBC's Isolde Raftery contributed to this report.

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As Tropical Storm Isaac makes its way over the Caribbean on Wednesday, forecasters expect it to turn into a hurricane later this week, sparking worries that it could threaten next week's Republican National Convention in Florida.

The storm is getting better organized as it moves west at 21 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph as of Wednesday morning. Forecasters predict Issac could turn into a hurricane by Friday. 

Related: Click here to track Isaac's path

Schools and government offices are closed across much of the Caribbean Wednesday as Isaac was positioned 140 miles east of the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.

In addition to much of the Caribbean, tropical storm warnings are also in effect for Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and the south coast of the Dominican Republic are all under a hurricane watch.

Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit encouraged people to stay home from work on Wednesday, according to the AP.

"I want us all to be safe," he said. "I don't want lives to be lost. I have listened to the advice of the experts and so I am asking all to stay indoors." 

Puerto Rico is also bracing for the worst: Gov. Luis Fortuno activated the National Guard and declared a state of emergency, the AP reported.

By Wednesday evening, the storm's center is expected to be over the Leeward Islands, and it will move toward the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba as a hurricane later this week, according to the AP.

AFP PHOTO / NASA GSFC GOES PROJECT

Tropical Storm Isaac strengthened on Wednesday and looked set to become a hurricane as it churned through the Caribbean.

National Hurricane Center computer models indicate that Isaac could move northwest and eventually reach Florida by Monday morning — the same day as the start of the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Next week's GOP convention is expected to attract thousands of Republicans to nominate Mitt Romney for president and Paul Ryan for vice president. While it's too soon to tell whether Isaac will hit Tampa directly, senior hurricane specialist Lixion Avila, with the National Hurricane Center, told Reuters that Tampa is not out of harm's way.

"With the convention or without the convention, I can tell you this is August 22, hurricane season, and normally anywhere in Florida or the Gulf of Mexico we should monitor any system that forms," Avila said.

The Weather Channel's Bryan Norcross wrote a warning post on his Facebook page Wednesday: "Okay Florida ... it's time to wake up. Isaac is getting organized and the odds are increasing that it's going to be a problem ... a big enough problem that preparation is likely to be required."

Both Tampa and GOP officials say there are contingency plans in case the storm hits. FEMA has water and meals ready in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In 2008, Hurricane Gustav churning toward New Orleans disrupted the Republican convention that was getting under way in Minneapolis. President George W. Bush Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. Joe Lieberman canceled Sept. 1 speeches. Bush delivered a speech by satellite the next day. Aides to Sen. John McCain, the party’s presidential nominee, chartered a jet so Gulf Coast delegates could return home, according to media reports at the time. The storm largely spared New Orleans,  battered by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but came ashore as a Category 2 hurricane and spawned damaging tornadoes.

Elsewhere, forecasters are also keeping an eye on Tropical Depression 10, which has formed over the eastern tropical Atlantic.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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A teacher in Florida has been accused of telling a group of teens that they had to cut and burn themselves to rid their bodies of demons.

Danielle Hawkins, 35, a literacy teacher at  the Lealman and Asian Neighborhood Family Center in St. Petersburg, is charged with aggravated child abuse and child abuse, NBCMiami.com reported. 

Police said Hawkins and seven former students gathered at a pier Saturday before dusk and she told them they needed to cut themselves to rid evil spirits. She then said they needed to burn the wounds so that the spirits couldn't return, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Two teens were injured during the ritual, with one suffering second-degree burns. None of the students told their parents, but one 16-year-old told a friend in a text message what happened. The friend told the boy's parent, who called police, the paper reported.

"Obviously, it's very strange," St. Petersburg police spokesman Mike Puetz told the Times. "The motivations for the ritual are very unknown to us."

Police said that when wind blew out a lighter that Hawkins was holding next to one teen's hand, she doused him with perfume and lit it. Another suffered a cut on the neck from a broken bottle. Hawkins heated a small key to cauterize the wound, according to the Times.

Hawkins was arrested Tuesday and was being held in lieu of $55,000 bail. Authorities are not sure what religion the ritual was a part of, the Times reported. 

Hawkins has been suspended from her teaching job at the family center without pay. Executive director Carolyn Chance said the center's board will meet in a few days to discuss her fate with the organization. She also said Hawkins never exhibited any kind of strange behavior in the four-plus years she's worked there. 

"It's is the most bizarre thing I've ever seen, that's all I can say," Chance told msnbc.com.

Hawkins was the defendant in a sexual violence case that was dismissed in January and filed for a domestic violence injunction against her then-husband in August that was also dismissed, the paper reported. Her divorced was finalized June 1, the Times reported. 

Lisa Cope, Hawkins next-door neighbor, told the Times that the last time she saw Hawkins she had taken an interest in extreme religious beliefs. 

"She told me I was okay," Cope told the paper. "She said I didn't have any demons."

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Amanda Logue and her boyfriend, Jason Andrews, are charged in the death Dennis

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – A porn actress accused with her lover of killing a tattoo parlor owner after a sex party pleaded guilty on Monday to a reduced charge that will get her 40 years in prison.

The Tampa Bay Times reports that Amanda Logue, 30, entered the plea in Pasco County. Logue, who performed in adult films under the name Sunny Dae, was originally charged with first-degree murder but was allowed to plead guilty to second-degree murder in a plea deal, according to the newspaper.

Dennis “Scooter” Abrahamsen of Tampa was found stabbed and bludgeoned to death on a massage table in his New Port Richey home in May 2010. Court records show that Logue had been paid to attend a sex party Abrahamsen hosted at his home the night before he was killed.

Florida investigators say Logue and her boyfriend, Jason Andrews, traded dozens of text messages in May about their plans to kill the man before he was bludgeoned him to death with a sledgehammer.

Watch the most-viewed videos on msnbc.com

Authorities said that while Logue was inside "servicing" the 41-year-old Abrahamsen, Andrews waited outside, waiting for word to attack, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

"I'm so glad you're really commited (sic) to this take. Keep eyes for a knife, etc for me!" Andrews said in a text message to Logue, according to records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.

Logue texted back, saying she wanted to have sex with Andrews "after we kill" Abrahamsen, the Times reported.

"Just get him on his face either bash or tell me to get in and where to go," Andrews texted, according to the Tampa Bay Tribune.

Andrews, 28, pleaded guilty to a first-degree murder in January and agreed to spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Times reported.

Logue is being held at the Pasco County Jail.

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