A woman from Georgia was arrested and charged with murder after police accused her of killing an elderly couple at a senior living community in Florida on New Year’s Eve.
Fifty-year-old Vickie Williams made a virtual court appearance on Saturday, and the judge ordered that she be held without bond at the Lake County Jail for the murders of 83-year-old Darryl Getman and 80-year-old Shannon Getman, who were killed in the Watertown Village Retirement Community located in Mount Dora, Florida.
Police initially arrested Williams and charged her with grand theft of a vehicle for allegedly stealing the couple’s car.
Authorities still have not released details about how the couple died and have not disclosed a motive for the murder more than a week after the slayings. According to the police the suspect did not know the victims.
During a press conference held last week, the Interim Police Chief for Mount Dora, Mike Gibson, said that on December 30, security officers working for the senior living community escorted Williams out of the complex.
The Police Chief said that the trespasser was spotted several times on the premises on December 30 and 31 and had been involved in several incidents.
After getting escorted out of the retirement community by security on December 31, Williams stuck around the area. At around 11 pm that night, she knocked on a door of one of the apartments and asked a resident if she could shower in her house.
The female tenant became afraid and immediately pressed an alarm button, and according to the police, Williams fled the scene with a set of keys that she grabbed near the door.
Early the following morning, at around 2 am, surveillance footage recorded a green Kia Soul, which belonged to the Getmans, leaving the community building.
About 14 hours later, at around 4 pm on December 31, the Getmans were found dead inside their home.
Police began tracking down their stolen vehicle and found it in Savannah, Georgia, over 250 miles from the crime scene with Williams inside. They arrested her on Tuesday for stealing the couple’s car but not for murdering the couple.
Police Chief Gibson said they were still working on probable cause, adding that they had not found any connection between the victims and Williams and that the suspect had no connection to Mount Dora or Central Florida.
According to Gibson, it appeared to be a random crime.
Williams was eventually identified as a person of interest in the murder and declared a suspect before being charged with the couple’s death.
The couple, survived by their two children, a son, daughter, and grandchildren, had lived in Mount Dora for over two decades.
Their heartbroken children released a statement saying no words describe the tragedy in their family and community. The children said the two seniors had been enjoying their golden years with their friends before they were murdered.
Williams was charged with two first-degree murder counts and one count of grand theft of a vehicle and will appear in court on January 30.
