Two men and a woman on Wednesday have been arrested in connection with the brutal beatings and death of three Florida friends during a nighttime catfishing trip.
“We have locked up the three people responsible for the murders of these guys,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
Tony “TJ” Williams, 26, a hardened criminal with 230 felony criminal charges against him in his arrest history, was the alleged ringleader behind the “massacre.” His girlfriend, Mary Whitmore, 27, and his brother Robert Williams, 21, have also been arrested.
Judd called the elder Williams “pure evil in the flesh” and said his criminal history dates back to when he was 12 years old. He has 15 convictions and has two stints in state prison on his record.
“He’s a thug, he’s a criminal,” Judd said, adding Williams has been charged with three counts of first degree murder. His brother and Whitmore have been charged with 3 counts of accessory and 1 count of tampering.
Damion Tillman, 23, Kevin Springfield, 30, and Brandon Rollins, 27 – were “massacred” last week.
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The killings have shocked the tiny 3,200-person city of Frostproof, Fla, located about 70 miles south of Orlando.
There was an intense manhunt for the killers and a reward for information leading to an arrest in the case had ballooned to $30,000.
Judd said the killings seemed to stem from an argument over the elder Williams’ truck.
“This is a guy who can hurt you because it’s the right thing for him to do in that moment in time with his three brain cells,” Judd said.
The investigation is ongoing.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/three-arrested-triple-murder-florida-fishing-buddies