Trial underway in 2020 Polk triple murder case
Frostproof triple murder trial underway
A capital murder trial is underway in Polk County, where TJ Wiggins faces the death penalty in connection with the 2020 ambush of three friends on a night fishing trip in Frostproof. FOX 13's Heather Healy reports.
BARTOW, Fla. - A capital murder trial is underway in Polk County, where TJ Wiggins faces the death penalty in connection with the 2020 ambush of three friends on a night fishing trip in Frostproof.
Polk murder trial
What we know:
Prosecutors say Dollar General security camera footage showed TJ Wiggins at the same Frostproof store as Brandon Rollins, Keven Springfield and Damion Tillman shortly before the July 2020 killings at Lake Street.
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Authorities found store receipts at Wiggins’ trailer that directly tied him to that visit, while forensic testing matched ammunition recovered at his home to the exact rounds fired at the scene.
Investigators say Wiggins held a grudge against Springfield over a stolen truck engine, overheard the group's destination at the store and followed them alongside his brother and girlfriend.
Victim's father recounts attack
What they're saying:
"He starts shooting Keven and Brandon inside the white truck," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. "It's estimated he shoots them nine to 10 times between the two of them."
Rollins' father, Cyril Rollins, said his son called him crying for help after the attack.
"When I got there, I didn't have a phone at all," Cyril Rollins said. "I didn't know what to do. He was talking, and all of that. I said, ‘Son, I've got to leave you, I've got to go get some help.’ He was pretty bad. He was too bloody."
Cyril Rollins recalled reaching the scene while his son was dying.
"I couldn't see it, it was covered in blood," Cyril Rollins said. "And I got the phone, and it was his momma. And I said, ‘Please Dottie, please get here, our son is dying.’ Yep, she did."
Wiggins faces three counts of first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and being a felon in possession of a weapon. His girlfriend, Mary Whittemore, has already served a four-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to being an accessory after the fact.
A jury was selected last week, and the trial is expected to last five weeks.
Wiggins testimony decision
What we don't know:
It remains unknown whether Wiggins will take the stand during the expected five-week trial.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who detailed the investigation, as well as an interview with the victim's father, Cyril Rollins, and court records.