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CCTV shows suspects in fishing trip 'massacre' following victim into Florida dollar store

Tony 'TJ' Wiggins seen leaving the store about 20 seconds after Damion Tillman walks out

Louise Hall
Thursday 23 July 2020 19:32 BST
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CCTV shows suspects follow victim into store before Florida ‘massacre’

CCTV footage from a Florida convenience store has shown the suspects arrested in connection with a fishing trip “massacre” in the same store as one of the victims just before they were murdered.

William "Robert" Wiggins, 21, Tony “TJ” Wiggins, 26, and Mary Whittemore, 27, were arrested in connection with the murder of 23-year-old Damion Tillman, 30-year-old Keven Springfield, and 27-year-old Brandon Rollins on 17 July, police announced on Wednesday.

The footage, shared by Polk Sheriff Grady Judd, shows the suspects: two brothers and a girlfriend, inside the Dollar General store in Frostproof, Florida.

The video also displays an interaction between Tillman and the older Wiggins brother as Tillman is at the store counter, police said.

Tillman and his friends were said to have been preparing to go on a fishing trip when they were murdered in a killing that Sheriff Judd described as "horrific" and a "massacre" on Friday.

A Dollar General store clerk told the authorities that on Friday, Tillman said that he and his friends were meeting at the lake and that the suspects, who were also in the store, overheard the conversation.

The 21-year-old told detectives that his brother shot all three victims and asked him to help him put Tillman into the back of one of the trucks before they drove to McDonald's, according to police.

The 26-year-old has been charged on four counts including first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

His brother and Ms Whittemore have been charged with accessory after the fact, detectives say. The older Wiggins brother and Ms Whittemore have refused to cooperate with the police.

“I’ve been to a lot of murder scenes in my life, and this ranks among the worst,” Sheriff Judd, who has worked in the sheriff’s department since 1972 said on Saturday.

All three suspects will have first appearance hearings on Thursday.

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