LAKELAND, Fla. — A woman accused of shooting a man to death in an orange grove has been charged with first-degree murder.
Heather Tyler, 28, shot Joseph Wayne Witherington twice in the back of the head, according to a Polk County Sheriff's Office news release. The 21-year-old man's body was found Thursday by grove caretakers.
Tyler also faces charges of tampering with evidence and grand theft of a firearm.
She reportedly admitted to investigators Witherington visited her house in a friend's Kia and after hanging out for a few hours, the two left. At some point during the drive on 80 Foot Road in Alturas, she shot him, investigators said.
Tyler shot him a second time once the car stopped, they add.
Investigators said she left some flip-flops behind, which she later admitted to owning, and burned her clothes that had Witherington's blood on them.
The motive of the killing is not yet known.
As investigators try to figure out what happened, they accuse her of hiding the truth.
"Regardless of Heather's many reasons and excuses, we know that she executed Joseph Witherington by shooting him in the back of the head while he was driving down a dirt road between orange groves -- and that is first degree murder and we have charged her accordingly," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a news release. "Clearly the evidence, witnesses, and her admissions confirm that she committed cold blooded first degree murder.
"Joseph's family and friends are in our prayers. If not for the vicious act by Heather Tyler, he would be alive and well today."
She was booked Friday in the Polk County jail and is being held with no bond.
What other people are reading right now:
- DEA looking for a contractor who can burn 1,000 pounds of marijuana per hour
- Garfield phones have been washing up on French beaches for decades. Now we finally know why
- Florida cat missing for 8 years ends up in Ohio
- Disney World to ban smoking, ice and certain strollers beginning May 1
- Bob Saget, John Stamos break silence on Lori Loughlin's arrest in bribery scandal
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.
Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.