FORT MYERS, FL. (THECOUNT) — Earl “Tony” Joiner, a former University of Florida football star, was arrested Saturday for second-degree murder in the 2016 killing of his girlfriend, Heyzel Obando.
Obando, 26, was discovered dead in her apartment on Valentine’s Day, according to Fort Myers Police.
|
Advertisement |
No further details were provided on the arrest, officials saying only that they worked closely with the TV crime series “Cold Justice“.
The couple has two children together.
As a junior in college, Joiner led all of UF’s defensive backs with 59 tackles. Florida went on to beat Ohio State for the BCS national championship to end that season. During his senior year, Joiner had 64 tackles and two interceptions, but the Lakeland Ledger reports he ran into legal problems after being arrested for allegedly breaking into an impound lot to remove his girlfriend’s car, reports MankatoFreePress
In 2007, the senior defensive back for the Florida Gators faced burglary charges, just days before Florida’s showdown with #1 LSU. Investigators say Joiner was trying to get his girlfriend’s car out of Watson’s Towing on SW 1st Street. Witnesses told police a man pushed open the heavy gate surrounding the fenced yard, which was not open at the time. The man got into a car and tried to drive away without paying the $76 towing bill. A police officer heard the suspect, identified as Joiner, tell someone on a cell phone, “I am probably about to go to jail, cuz I did push the gate open, source.”
DEVELOPING::
Geo quick facts: Fort Myers or Ft. Myers, is the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. It has grown rapidly in recent years. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 62,298 and in 2017 was estimated at 79,943 – Wikipedia.