BARTOW, FL — A Polk County jury recommended life in prison without the possibility of parole for Tony “TJ” Wiggins on Monday in the 2020 murders of three men, ending prosecutors’ bid for the death penalty.
Wiggins, 32, was convicted September 29 of three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Brandon Rollins, 28, Keven Springfield, 30, and Damion Tillman, 23. Prosecutors said Wiggins followed the men to a remote stretch of Lake Streety Road near Frostproof on July 17, 2020, following a dispute with Springfield over a truck engine. He then opened fire as the men prepared for a night fishing trip. Evidence presented during the two-week trial included shell casings and other forensic evidence linking Wiggins to the murders.
Under Florida law amended in 2023, a recommendation for the death penalty requires at least eight of 12 jurors. If fewer than eight jurors vote for death, the jury must recommend life imprisonment, and the judge is required to impose life without the possibility of parole.
A formal sentencing hearing is expected to follow the jury’s recommendation. Nothing further.
SOURCE: Office of the State Attorney, 10th Judicial Circuit
