A Florida man was arrested Saturday in connection with a double murder of a couple who police say was asleep at the time before they were fatally shot and buried in a swamp behind their home.
Todd Michael Jackson, 34, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Raymond and Crystal Cline, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Crystal, 37, and Raymond, 33, were last seen on February 21, Sheriff Grady Judd said.
Deputies arrived at the home of Amberlyn Nichols after she tried to sell Raymond Cline’s truck for $200. Nichols told authorities she and her boyfriend helped Jackson hide the bodies in the swampy backyard and led investigators to the two decomposing bodies.
“Well, do you know why the owner didn’t need the truck any longer,” Judd asked reporters Saturday. “Because he was dead. He was murdered. And she was actually telling people that the victim had been shot in the head and was dead and they needed to get rid of his truck.”
Nichols said her stepfather, Jackson, was angry because Raymond Cline owed him some money.
Nichols and her boyfriend, Larry James Waters Jr., 19, each face one count each of failing to report a death and one count each of accessory after the fact, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
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