A Polk County jury is hearing evidence this week in the capital murder trial of Tony “TJ” Wiggins, the man accused of gunning down three friends during a night fishing trip near Frostproof more than six years ago. Wiggins, now facing three counts of first-degree murder, is also charged with tampering with physical evidence and being a felon in possession of a weapon, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty if he is convicted.
The case dates back to July 2020, when 23-year-old Damion Tillman, 30-year-old Keven Springfield, and 27-year-old Brandon Rollins were ambushed along Lake Streety Road in Frostproof while heading out for a night of catfishing, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay. The three men were longtime local friends, and their deaths shook the small Polk County community. As reported by FOX 13 News, jury selection wrapped up the week before the trial began, and the proceedings are expected to last five weeks.
According to FOX 13 News, prosecutors say Wiggins, Springfield, Tillman, and Rollins were all at the same Frostproof Dollar General store shortly before the killings, and store security footage placed Wiggins at the scene. Investigators say Wiggins overheard the group discussing their destination, then followed them alongside his brother and girlfriend. Detectives say receipts recovered at Wiggins' trailer tied him to the store visit, and forensic testing matched ammunition found at his home to rounds fired at the scene.
A Grudge Over a Stolen Engine
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has said investigators believe Wiggins held a grudge against Springfield over a stolen truck engine, and that Wiggins began shooting Springfield and Rollins inside their white truck. Per the sheriff's account relayed by FOX 13 News, Judd estimated Wiggins fired nine to 10 shots between the two men. Brandon Rollins' father, Cyril Rollins, has said he reached the scene while his son was still dying, and that Brandon called him crying for help after the attack, according to the same FOX 13 News report.
Wiggins had an extensive criminal history well before the shootings. At the time of his July 2020 arrest, the then-26-year-old had a record spanning 230 felony charges, 15 felony convictions, and two prior stints in Florida state prisons, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Judd publicly described Wiggins as a career criminal who was first arrested at age 12. Detectives also seized two SKS rifles, two Mossberg shotguns, and matching ammunition from a gun safe inside Wiggins' travel trailer on Sarver Avenue in Lake Wales after executing a search warrant on July 20, 2020, per the sheriff's office.
A Court Error That Let Him Walk Free
At the time of the killings, Wiggins was out on bond for a March 2020 aggravated battery charge, according to WTSP. The station also reported on the circumstances surrounding his release.
The station's reporting also details how two co-defendants have already resolved their cases. Wiggins' brother, William “Robert” Wiggins, admitted to driving the vehicle that carried TJ Wiggins to Lake Streety Road, and later pleaded guilty to accessory and evidence tampering charges, according to The Ledger. The Ledger also posted about Robert Wiggins' case.
Mary Whittemore, who was TJ Wiggins' girlfriend and living with him in a travel trailer at the time of the killings, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and served a four-year prison sentence, according to FOX 13 News. She also pleaded guilty to perjury, per FOX 13 Tampa Bay's fuller account of her case.
Why the Trial Took Six Years
The lengthy gap between the 2020 killings and this week's trial came amid separate federal firearms charges, per the same WTSP investigation. Victims' families voiced frustration over the federal proceedings holding up the state murder case, the station reported.
In the days after the shootings, investigators say the three suspects traveled to a Lake Wales McDonald's to buy 10 McDoubles and two McChicken sandwiches, and that Robert Wiggins washed clay from his pickup truck at a car wash the following morning — details detectives later used to help build a timeline, according to Central Florida Public Media. Detectives tracked local car wash records and surveillance footage during the initial investigation, the outlet reported.
What a Conviction Could Mean
If Wiggins is convicted, the death penalty phase would unfold under Florida's revised capital sentencing law. Under statutory changes enacted in April 2023, a jury can recommend a death sentence with only an 8-4 vote — the lowest threshold in the country, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU criticized the non-unanimous threshold.
It remains unclear whether Wiggins will take the stand in his own defense, according to FOX 13 News. With the trial expected to run five weeks, jurors will hear evidence as the case that has stretched more than six years finally reaches its courtroom conclusion.
