LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A woman is facing murder charges in Florida after an elderly couple was found dead in their residence at the Waterman Village retirement community on New Year’s Eve.
Vickie Lynn Williams, 50, was booked at the Lake County Detention Center on Friday for two counts of murder. The homicide victims were identified as Darryl Getman, 83, and Sharon Getman, 80, Law&Crime reported.
Interim Police Chief Michael Gibson of the Mount Dora Police Department told reporters that Williams was seen several times at Waterman Village on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31. The woman was kicked out of the facility by security personnel.
Williams reportedly asked a female tenant permission to use the shower and apparently stole keys from that same female tenant.
Surveillance footage from the retirement community showed Williams leaving in the Getmans’ car during the early morning of New Year’s Eve, several hours before the couple was found dead in the afternoon, Gibson said.
Williams was initially arrested and held in Chatham County, Georgia, for stealing the automobile, authorities said.
Meanwhile, Gibson said investigators were working on probable cause to arrest Williams for double murder.
Gibson said there is no known connection between Williams and the city of Mount Dora. She has very limited connection with anything in Central Florida, he added.
“It appears it was a random crime,” he said.
“We are stunned, devastated and heart-broken by the horrific murder of our parents,” the couple’s children Anthony and Brittany Getman said in a statement released on Wednesday. “If there are words to describe what has happened and it’s impact to our family and the community, we have not found them. Mom and Dad had been residents of Mount Dora for over 20 years and truly loved the area. They were enjoying their golden years staying active and spending time with their many friends.”
Law enforcement officials have not disclosed the manner of death or further details of their investigation, but Williams is now facing two counts of murder and one count of grand theft of a motor vehicle. Her arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 30, Law&Crime reported.
Williams was arrested in 2012 and 2014 for traffic laws, including driving with a suspended or revoked license and driving without tail lights. She was also arrested on April 9, 2022 for extradition to a Beaufort County, according to Chatham County records obtained by Law&Crime.
Online court records in Williams’ name out of Beaufort County, South Carolina, revealed a larceny case filed on Nov. 21, 2016. The defendant in this case was first arrested on Nov. 19, 2016, but South Carolina records show a bench warrant being served years later on April 16, 2022.
