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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: TJ Wiggins found guilty in 2020 triple murder
After two weeks of testimony and three hours of deliberations, a Polk County jury found Tony "TJ" Wiggins guilty on all counts in a triple murder in Frostproof six years ago. He now faces the possibility of the death penalty for ambushing and shooting three friends as they prepared for a fishing trip back in 2020. FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports.
BARTOW, Fla. - A Polk County jury recommended life in prison for Tony Lee "TJ" Wiggins Jr. on all three counts of murder in the 2020 killings of three men who were on a night fishing trip near Frostproof.
The judge is expected to make a final sentencing decision Friday.
Frostproof triple murder trial
Wiggins was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 23-year-old Damion Tillman, 28-year-old Brandon Rollins and 30-year-old Keven Springfield.
PREVIOUS: Frostproof triple murder: TJ Wiggins found guilty on all counts
The jury's life-in-prison recommendation came after a trial that lasted several weeks and centered on evidence investigators said linked Wiggins to the killings.
Victim mother speaks out
What they're saying:
Family and friends of the victims quietly reacted in the courtroom after the verdict, maintaining their composure following more than six years of waiting for the case to reach this point.
Rollins' mother, Dottie Payton, spoke outside the courthouse following the verdict.
"It felt like there was a piece of my heart that wasn't broken, that was put right back together," Payton said. "I was excited. We waited six years for this verdict and we got it today."
Payton said the past six years have been extremely difficult for the families and friends of all three men.
"I'll keep posting about Brandon every day, every year, so it's not forgotten," Payton said. "We haven't forgotten and we won't forget."
FOX 13 also spoke with family members of Tillman off-camera, who said they were happy to finally see justice served.
Frostproof fishing trip killings
The backstory:
Prosecutors said Wiggins spotted Tillman at a Dollar General before following him to a remote area on Lake Streety Road, where Tillman was meeting Rollins and Springfield for a night fishing trip.
State evidence indicated Wiggins punched Springfield during a dispute over a truck engine, beat at least one victim with a gun butt and fired at least 10 rounds.
Investigators linked DNA found on spent 9 mm shell casings at the scene to shell casings found outside Wiggins' trailer. Authorities also discovered blood on a truck seatbelt.
Surveillance video showed Wiggins' white pickup truck traveling from the crime scene to a Polk County McDonald's drive-thru about 13 minutes later. Additional video showed the truck being washed the following morning.
Jurors also heard a jailhouse phone call in which Wiggins claimed investigators had no fingerprints linking him to the triple homicide.
Defense arguments
The other side:
Wiggins' defense attorneys argued that prosecutors did not have direct evidence proving Wiggins had a gun in his hand or establishing premeditation.
Wiggins did not testify during the trial.
The jury unanimously found Wiggins guilty of all three counts before deliberating on his potential sentence.
Friday formal sentencing
What's next:
The judge will make the final sentencing decision Friday following the jury's recommendation of life in prison on all three murder counts.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from previous FOX 13 reporting, Polk County trial proceedings, court evidence records and statements provided by family members of the victims, including Dottie Payton.