Two brothers and one of their girlfriends arrested over ‘massacre’ of three friends on Florida fishing trip

Scene of the killings was described as ‘a massacre’ by Polk County sheriff Grady Judd

William Robert Wiggins, Mary Whittemore, and Tony Wiggins in police custody (Polk County Sheriff's Office)

Two brothers and a woman have been arrested in connection with the murder of three friends on a fishing trip in Florida.

The brothers, 21-year-old William Robert Wiggins and 26-year-old Tony “TJ” Wiggins were arrested on Wednesday alongside the former’s girlfriend, 27 year-old Mary Whittemore.

They have been accused of killing 23-year-old Damion Tillman, 30-year-old Keven Springfield, and 27-year-old Brandon Rollins, as they prepared to go on a fishing trip at a lake in Frostproof, Florida, last Friday.

At a press conference on Saturday, Polk County sheriff Grady Judd described the scene of the killings as “horrific” and called the deaths a “massacre”.

Mr Judd, who has worked in the sheriff’s department since 1972 added: “I’ve been to a lot of murder scenes in my life, and this ranks among the worst.”

Neither Ms Whittemore or her boyfriend are cooperating with the authorities, and investigators said all three separate police interviews were “inconsistent and contradicting.”

A Dollar General store clerk told the authorities that on Friday, Tillman said that he and his friends were meeting at the lake, and that the suspects, who were also in the store, overheard the conversation.

The sheriff said that the three suspects then followed Tillman to the lake and confronted Springfield, who they said had stolen their truck and sold the engine. The sheriff did not confirm if this is true.

The 21-year-old told detectives that his brother shot all three victims and got him and his girlfriend to put Tillman on the back of a truck, before they then went to a local McDonald’s and ordered 10 double cheeseburgers and two chicken sandwiches.

Rollins was still alive when the suspects left the area and he called his dad for help, but had died by the time he could reach him.

The 26-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, while his brother and his girlfriend have been charged with accessory after the fact.

According to CBS News, the suspects are due in court on Thursday afternoon.