UPDATED, 7/22/20 4:24 p.m. ET: Florida authorities have made three arrests in connection to the murders of Damion Tillman, Keven Springfield, and Brandon Rollins.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced Wednesday that brothers Tony "TJ" Wiggins and William "Robert" Wiggins were taken into custody along with TJ's girlfriend, Mary Whittemore. People reports Tony is facing is charges of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. His bother is facing charges of tampering with evidence and accessory after the fact; while Whitemore is facing a charge of accessory after the fact.Â
While searching the crime scene, police reportedly found a Dollar General receipt that was dated the night of the shooting homicides. Authorities reviewed surveillance footage at the store, and confirmed Tillman had made a purchase at the same time the three suspects were inside.Â
"Before Damion [Tillman] shows up, he decides to buy a Mountain Dew," Judd said during a press conference. "He goes into the store and as he is standing in line to leave, TJ walks up behind him. Behind him is his brother Robert, and Mary is also in the store. TJ and Damion are having a conversation and it is not animated at all."
Tillman then reportedly told the clerk he was meeting some friends for a fishing trip.
"TJ heads out and gets in a car with Robert and Mary and ... tells Robert to follow [Tillnman],"Â Judd continued. "The three suspects [were] in the store with one of the three victims 10 minutes before the shooting."
On Monday, police executed a search warrant for a trailer TJ and Whittemore were occupying. The search yielded two SKS rifles, two Mossberg shotguns and ammunition that matched the shell casings found at the murder scene.
Judd told reporters that after the murders, Wiggins and Whittemore drove to McDonald's and ordered 10 double cheeseburgers and two McChicken sandwiches.
"This is how evil they are," the sheriff said. "It didn’t even faze them."
All three suspects are being held without bond, and are expected to make a court appearance Thursday.
See the original story below.
Three friends were murdered after meeting up for a fishing trip in central Florida over the weekend.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, per a CBS Newsreport, referred to the murder of the three friends as a "massacre."Â According to Judd, the three men were fatally "beaten and shot"Â during the incident. Speaking to reporters on Saturday near Lake Streety, where the bodies were found, Judd detailed the "horrific scene" of the crime.
"I've been to a lot of murder scenes in my life, and this ranks among the worst," Judd said.
In a statement released to the public, homicide detectives with the Polk County Sheriff's Office asked for anyone who has information on the murders to come forward.
Police said that 27-year-old Brandon Rollins called his father on Friday night, saying only "Help." Preliminary information shows that Rollins' father knew that his son had left for a fishing trip with friends Kevin Springfield, 30, and Damion Tillman, 23. Rollins' father arrived at the scene to find his son "barely alive." Springfield and Tillman were already dead.
The CBS report adds more context, citing early investigation findings as including the added detail that Rollins'Â father "forgot his cellphone"Â when rushing to the location upon receiving his son's emergency call. The father then drove to a convenience store, where a clerk helped him notify police. Once authorities arrived at the scene, Rollins had also died.
While police have thus far declined to offer any speculation on the potential relationship between the victims and those responsible for the murders, authorities have been clear that the location of the fishing trip isn't the sort of place one would simply "stumble upon."
