A Florida man accused of gunning down three friends as they headed out for a night of fishing allegedly did something chilling just minutes later — he went to McDonald’s and ordered a pile of burgers.
Tony Lee “TJ” Wiggins Jr., 32, is on trial in Bartow, Florida, charged with murdering Damion Tillman, Brandon Rollins and Keven Springfield outside a Dollar General in July 2020.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Wiggins has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder, tampering with evidence and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
Prosecutors say the three friends stopped at the Dollar General on July 17, 2020, before heading out to fish.
Assistant State Attorney Ralph Guerra told jurors that Tillman entered the store to pick up a few items while Wiggins was also inside.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed Wiggins leaving shortly after Tillman.
Minutes later, all three men were dead.
Investigators said the victims had been shot a total of nine times. Ten spent cartridge casings were recovered from the scene and identified as 9 mm TulAmmo ammunition.
Prosecutors say the deadly confrontation may have been connected to a truck.
Wiggins owned a truck that had somehow “come into the possession” of Springfield, according to Guerra. After the murders, investigators found Wiggins’ truck without an engine.
Detectives later discovered that the engine had allegedly been installed in Tillman’s red Chevrolet truck.
Prosecutors also pointed to evidence they say links Wiggins to the weapon and ammunition used in the killings.
A Facebook message allegedly showed Wiggins telling his mother that he planned to get a Smith & Wesson 9 mm handgun.
Eight days before the murders, surveillance footage allegedly captured Wiggins and his girlfriend buying 9 mm TulAmmo ammunition at a store.
When investigators questioned Wiggins, he allegedly admitted being in a vehicle with his brother and girlfriend that night but denied taking part in the murders.
His brother, William “Robert” Wiggins, was also arrested.
According to prosecutors, William later told detectives that he watched his brother shoot all three men after accusing Springfield of stealing his truck.
What allegedly happened next stunned investigators.
Authorities said Tony Wiggins, his brother and Wiggins’ girlfriend drove to McDonald’s after the shootings and ordered 10 double cheeseburgers and two McChicken sandwiches.
Wiggins’ defense attorney, Debra Tuomey, told jurors they should not blindly trust the prosecution’s case.
She described the homicide investigation as “messy, reckless” and “sloppy,” arguing that detectives and crime scene investigators failed to properly follow procedures.
Prosecutors say Wiggins’ DNA was found on cartridge casings recovered from the murder scene.
Tuomey urged jurors to closely examine how that evidence was collected, stored and tested and not automatically assume forensic evidence is reliable.
Wiggins’ girlfriend, Mary Whittemore, later pleaded guilty to three counts of accessory after the fact and was sentenced to four years in prison.
William Wiggins pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and tampering with evidence. Court records indicate he has not yet been sentenced.
Tony Wiggins continues to deny killing the three men as his death penalty trial moves forward.
