LAKELAND, Fla. — A Lakeland man is facing a charge of first-degree murder for shooting and killing his wife on Christmas Eve, the Polk County Sheriff's Office wrote.
On Dec. 24, deputies say a family member found 39-year-old Shameka Lockett unresponsive on the bedroom floor of her home near West Patterson Street in Lakeland. The family member called 911.
Detectives arrived around 8:30 p.m. to find Shameka had been shot and killed.
An investigation revealed that Lockett's husband, 39-year-old Ronald Lockett Jr., picked her up from work around 1:30 a.m. that morning and drove her home, the sheriff's office said. By doing this, detectives say Ronald Lockett violated pre-trial conditions for previous convictions of aggravated battery and driving without a license.
Family members reportedly told the sheriff's office that they heard the couple arguing that night, followed by a noise described as a "pop."
During a search of the home, detectives say they found 27 rounds of ammunition, Ronald Lockett's ID card and a container of white powder that tested positive for ecstasy.
Ronald Lockett was located at a different Lakeland home the next day when he admitted to picking Shameka Lockett up from work but denied any involvement in her murder, the sheriff's office wrote.
He also admitted to selling ecstasy pills for extra money, detectives added.
Ronald Lockett was initially arrested and charged with violation of pretrial release, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and multiple drug-related charges. A first-degree murder charge was later added after Shameka Lockett's autopsy report was released.
Ronald Lockett is being held in the Polk County Jail on no bond.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family whose loved one was brutally murdered in her own home during what should have been a season of celebration," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. "Thankfully, my detectives found the murderer quickly, and put him in jail, where he belongs.”
The sheriff's office said Ronald Lockett has an extensive criminal history which includes 10 felonies and 24 misdemeanors.
