Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Wednesday he simply could not explain why an alleged ringleader arrested in connection with the brutal murders of three Florida friends during a fishing trip had been on the streets, instead of being Behind bars.
In an interview in “The Daily Briefing”, Judd explained that Tony “TJ” Wiggins, 26, already had 230 felony charges under his belt.
“And he’s free to jump on a man and break his arm with a lever,” he said. “This guy is wicked in the flesh. And, he murdered, he massacred three guys who just went fishing on Friday night near Frostproof, Florida.”
THREE ARRESTED IN RELATION TO TRIPLE MURDER OF FLORIDA FISHING BUDDIES
Wiggins, his brother William “Robert” Wiggins, 21, and Robert’s girlfriend, Mary Whittemore, 27, were charged with last week’s frost-proof murders. Damion Tillman, 23, Keven Springfield, 30 and Brandon Rollins, 27, died.
Wiggins’ criminal history dates back to when he was 12 years old. He had 15 convictions and has two terms in state prison on his record.
Her brother has been accused of tampering with evidence and accessories. Whittemore has been charged with accessories after the fact of a capital crime.
“Why, sheriff, is this guy on the streets?” Host Trace Gallagher asked.
“I have no explanation for that,” replied Judd. “He has, look at the Florida statute … he did it all. He recently broke someone’s arm.”
Tony “TJ” Wiggins, 26, (left) was the alleged leader of the “massacre.” His girlfriend Mary Whittemore, 27, (center) and brother Robert Wiggins, 21, (right) have also been arrested. (Polk County Sheriff)
“At the end of the day, he had a chance meeting with a young man, Damion who was going to fish. And, Damion mentioned, ‘I’m going to fish with Kevin.’ So, he said to his brother Robert, ‘Follow him to the lake.’ there, he took out his gun and killed the three people, “added the sheriff.
Judd said the murders appeared to stem from an argument over Wiggins’ truck.
Investigators said that Tillman apparently came to the lake first to meet his friends. When Rollins and Springfield arrived, they saw their friend being beaten. The attackers turned on them and started shooting.
Rollins was still alive when the attackers left and called his father for help.
His father ran to the fishing spot about 10 minutes away, but he forgot his cell phone in a hurry to help his son. He drove to a nearby convenience store, and the employee helped him call the police, but when they arrived Rollins was dead.
The other two men died soon after.
After the brutal murders, the three suspects went to McDonald’s, where they ordered 10 double cheeseburgers and two McChicken sandwiches, investigators said. Also, the next morning, Robert Wiggins took his truck to a car wash in Lake Wales to wash the clay.
There was an intense human hunt for the killers and a reward for the information that led to an arrest in the case had already increased to $ 30,000.
TJ Wiggins had been arrested in March for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was released on bail. However, because he allegedly killed Tillman, Springfield and Rollins while out on bail, he violated their pre-trial release conditions and is therefore not allowed to join the new charges.
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“It was violent. It was horrible. And there was absolutely no reason,” Judd said.
“This was a casual meeting. He heard Kevin was going fishing with Damion, and this, and he broke up. He showed up. He had Robert, his brother, take him there. And Robert and his girlfriend Mary tried to hide evidence. But our detectives , who are simply the best, they solved this case with the work and the help of the community, “he concluded.
Fox News’ Barnini Chakraborty contributed to this report.
