Woman convicted of Polk County deputy's 2022 murder sentenced to life in prison

BARTOW, Fla. - Nearly three years after Polk County Deputy Blane Lane was shot and killed in the line of duty, the woman convicted of his murder learned on Friday that she will spend the rest of her life behind bars.

Death of Deputy Blane Lane

The backstory:

On Oct. 4, 2022, Sheriff Grady Judd said Lane was helping serve a felony warrant in Polk City when the suspect, Cheryl Williams, pulled a gun that was later determined to be a "very realistic-looking" BB gun.

Deputies fired, hitting Williams, but also hitting Lane, who was outside watching a potential escape door.

Aerial view showing crime scene where Polk County deputy-involved shooting occurred.

Lane, a Mulberry High School graduate who was just 21 years old, died at the hospital. He had three children, including one he never got to meet.

Polk Sheriff Grady Judd swears in Deputy Blane Lane on Jan. 18, 2022. (Photo: Polk County Sheriff's Office)

Cheryl Williams convicted of murder

Williams was charged with second-degree murder of a law enforcement officer since investigators said she was responsible for Lane's death under Florida law.

Mugshot of Cheryl Williams. Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Last week, a jury convicted Williams of murder, resisting an officer without violence, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of methamphetamine.

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On Friday, a judge sentenced Williams to life in prison without parole.