TJ Wiggins Sentenced to Three Consecutive Life Terms for 2020 Frostproof Triple Murder

Tony Lee "TJ" Wiggins Jr. will spend the rest of his life in a Florida prison for the 2020 killings of three men on a night fishing trip near Frostproof. On Friday, Oct. 9, Circuit Judge Jalal Harb sentenced him in Bartow to three consecutive terms of life without the possibility of parole, one for each victim.

The sentence came four days after a Polk County jury recommended life in prison instead of death, and 10 days after the same jury convicted Wiggins of three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Damion Tillman, 23, Brandon Rollins, 28, and Keven Springfield, 30. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty.

The sentencing

Harb told the court there was "only one sentence" Wiggins could receive, life without parole, WFLA reported. Under Florida's capital sentencing law, a judge must impose life when the jury recommends it. A death sentence could have been considered only if at least eight of the 12 jurors had voted for it.

Relatives of all three men addressed Wiggins before the sentence was imposed. Damion Tillman's mother told him he had taken a part of her family she would never get back and asked him to remember what he did for the rest of his life, according to WFLA. Michael Smith, Springfield's brother-in-law, called the killings senseless and said no amount of money justified killing someone over a motor worth about $200. Dottie Payton, Rollins' mother, said Wiggins appeared to smirk and showed no remorse.

Wiggins did not testify during the trial. The families said they would keep pursuing justice, and Wiggins can still appeal his conviction and sentence.

The killings on Lake Streety Road

The three friends were killed on July 17, 2020, in a remote area along Lake Streety Road near Frostproof in southeast Polk County, where they had gathered to fish at night.

Prosecutors said Wiggins spotted Tillman at a Dollar General store and followed him to the spot where he was meeting Rollins and Springfield. According to the state, a dispute over a truck engine led Wiggins to punch Springfield, beat at least one of the men with the butt of a gun and fire at least 10 rounds.

The case drew national attention in 2020, when the Polk County Sheriff's Office under Sheriff Grady Judd arrested Wiggins, his brother and his then-girlfriend in connection with the killings.

The evidence at trial

The trial in Bartow lasted about two weeks. Prosecutors with the 10th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office built their case on forensic and video evidence, according to FOX 13:

• DNA on spent 9mm shell casings found at the scene matched casings found outside Wiggins' trailer.
• Investigators found blood on a truck seatbelt.
• Surveillance video showed Wiggins' white pickup leaving the area and arriving at a McDonald's drive-thru in Lake Wales about 13 minutes after the shooting, and other video showed the truck being washed the next morning.
• Jurors heard a jailhouse phone call in which Wiggins claimed investigators had no fingerprints linking him to the killings.

Defense attorney Debra Tuomey argued that the state had no direct evidence putting a gun in Wiggins' hand and had not proved premeditation.

Closing arguments were interrupted when Rollins' father, Cyril Rollins, stood and shouted as he walked out of the courtroom, saying his son died in his arms and had identified Wiggins as the killer. The judge questioned each juror individually, excused one who said she heard the remark and denied a defense motion for a mistrial on Sept. 28.

Verdict and penalty phase

The jury deliberated about three hours on Tuesday, Sept. 29, before returning unanimous guilty verdicts on all counts. Outside the courthouse, Payton said it felt as though a piece of her heart had been put right back together. "I was excited. We waited six years for this verdict and we got it today," she told FOX 13.

The penalty phase began Oct. 1. Payton testified that her son "was the last child still at home with Mom and Dad," and said she had hoped for more grandchildren. Elizabeth Tillman described her son as someone who always carried a smile.

The defense called witnesses to argue for sparing Wiggins' life. A psychologist and a neuropsychiatrist testified that he grew up poor and suffered physical and emotional abuse, which they said contributed to his violence, and defense experts said he struggled in school, was diagnosed with ADHD and needed special education classes. A neuropsychologist called by the prosecution testified that he did not believe Wiggins' impairment was caused by childhood trauma or ADHD.

On Monday, Oct. 5, the jury recommended life in prison on all three murder counts, which removed the death penalty as an option.

The key dates in the case:

The co-defendants

Two others charged after the killings resolved their cases through plea deals, according to The Ledger in Lakeland.

Wiggins' younger brother, William Robert Wiggins, who prosecutors say was at the scene, pleaded guilty in April 2024 to three counts of accessory after the fact to a capital felony and one count of tampering with evidence. His agreement called for five years in state prison with credit for time served, followed by two years of probation, and required him to testify against his brother. In December 2024, Circuit Judge J. Kevin Abdoney denied his request to withdraw that plea. Recent coverage has not reported on his current status.

Mary Whittemore, TJ Wiggins' girlfriend at the time, agreed to a four-year prison sentence on three counts of accessory after the fact to a capital felony and one count of perjury. With credit for her time in the Polk County Jail, she was released from state prison in October 2024, The Ledger reported.

What's next

Wiggins will be transferred to the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections to serve his sentences. He has the right to appeal the conviction to Florida's Sixth District Court of Appeal, which hears appeals from Polk County. Because he did not receive a death sentence, his case will not go through the automatic Florida Supreme Court review that applies to death sentences.