‘Pure evil’: Trio arrested over murder of fishing group in Florida

Three people have been arrested in connection with the brutal murder of three friends who were attacked while fishing on a Florida lake. One of the victims managed to call his father in his final moments, raising the alarm.

The victims – Kevin Springfield, Brandon Rollins, and Damion Tillman – had met up for some night fishing in Frostproof, Florida on Friday when they were apparently set upon. The trio were severely beaten and shot, but Rollins managed to call his father and tell him of the attack before he too succumbed to his injuries.

On Wednesday, suspects Tony Wiggins, his girlfriend Mary Whittemore, and his brother William Wiggins, were apprehended by Polk County Sheriff’s office over the killings.

Sheriff Grady Judd held an extensive press conference announcing the arrests and detailing the alleged timeline of the gruesome murders, starting with one of the victims stopping at a convenience store and encountering Tony Wiggins. Ten minutes later the group would be fatally shot, Judd said.

Investigators say the three suspects followed the man to the lake and, once there, confronted his friend Springfield over selling a truck engine. The situation became heated, with Wiggins allegedly proceeding to beat Springfield before opening fire on the group.

Tony Wiggins has been charged with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Both his girlfriend and his brother are charged with accessory after the fact of capital felony, and William is also charged with tampering with evidence.

The sheriff revealed that Tony Wiggins already has 230 felony criminal charges in his arrest history, going back to the age of 12, and has served two sentences in state prison.

“He’s a thug. He’s a criminal. He’s pure evil in the flesh,” Judd said of Tony.

The three people arrested lived off the grid in a rural area near Frostproof and Lake Wales. The details regarding the alleged sale of a truck engine are still under investigation.

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