Accused revenge killer appears in court

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Alicia Fussell's widow says his wife was afraid for her life days before she was murdered.

And for good reason. Alicia was set to testify against Antwoine Noland, who was accused of shooting her in the foot in January.

But Alicia never got to testify.

Just days before the trial, she was shot and killed while she sat in parking lot of a Tampa liquor store. Police named Noland a person of interest.

Alicia's husband is convinced Noland did it.

"He's just a coward, because why would you want to do that to a woman," asked Fussell.

Meanwhile, assault charges against Noland for the first alleged shooting have not been resolved. He appeared in court Tuesday, where prosecutors announced a deal was in the works on that aggravated assault charge.

The question remains, could murder charges be looming?

Attorney Anthony Rickman, who evaluated the case for FOX 13 News, says 'yes.'

"The state wants to get all their evidence together; the ballistic reports, the toxicology reports, [the] autopsy reports," said Rickman.

Once Tampa police finish their investigation, they will turn it over to the Florida State Attorneys Office, but Rickman says there is no big rush since Noland isn't going anywhere.

"The state has the luxury of making sure they have a solid case, an air-tight case, before they take it to a grand jury," said Rickman.