Page 34 - Florida Sentinel 11-26-21

Crime
Jury Recommends Death Penalty In Double Murder
STEPHANIE WILLIS AND SON, RICKY (Photo courtesy of the Willis family).
Body Found In McKay Bay Identified
STEPHANIE CRONE-OVERHOLTS
The Tampa Police Depart- ment has released the identity of a woman whose body parts were located in McKay Bay. The death of Ms. Stephanie Crone Overholts has been ruled a homicide.
Police launched a death in- vestigation after body parts were found in McKay Bay. Two weeks ago, fishermen fishing in the area of McKay Bay observed what they be- lieved to be a human body part floating in the water and contacted Tampa Police. Investigators con- firmed the body part is of human origin and launched the death investigation.
The following day, around noon, another body part was discovered near the Licata Bridge at N. 22nd Street in the water.
Police were searching for a 2008 Silver Hyundai Elantra with Pennsylvania license plate HDE6564. Investigators believe the car, which was lo- cated on November 16th, may be involved in the case.
No additional information has been released. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Tampa Police Department at (813) 231-6130; or contact Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-TIPS, or online at www.crimestopperstb.com.
Police Investigate Bank Robbery In Temple Terrace
BANK ROBBERY SUSPECT
A jury has recommended the death penalty for a man found guilty of a double mur- der. Tyrone Johnson was found guilty of the double murder of a Tampa woman and her son.
Johnson was accused of viciously murdering his girl- friend, Ms. Stephanie Willis, 34, and her 10-year- old son, Ricky, following an argument over what the fam- ily would watch on TV.
The jury unanimously rec- ommended Johnson receive the death penalty last Wednesday. Their decision came five days after they found Johnson guilty of sec- ond-degree murder for killing Stephanie Willis and both first-degree murder and ag- gravated child abuse for killing Stephanie’s son, Ricky “Ryon” Willis.
Judge Christopher Sabella will weigh the evi- dence and decide whether to approve the jury’s recom- mended sentence.
Ms. Willis was a home health aide who dedicated her time to providing care for sen- ior citizens. Ryon was a stu- dent who played the drums in his elementary school’s 5th Grade music ensemble.
Prosecutors explained to the 12-member jury that Johnson called 9-1-1 on the evening of October 21, 2018, and told the operator he had just shot two people. The shooting was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
During the trial, Johnson
TYRONE JOHNSON ... Jury Recommends Death Penalty
claimed that they had at- tacked him, and he shot them to protect himself. First re- sponders found the two vic- tims close together, but as detectives examined the phys- ical evidence, it became clear Johnson was not under at- tack when he killed them.
Detectives determined that Johnson and his girl- friend got into an argument over what the family would watch on TV, and during that confrontation, Johnson shot her several times. Her 10- year-old son tried to hide from Johnson and crawled under his bed to keep from being found.
The physical evidence shows Johnson discovered the child and shot him several times while he was still under the bed. Johnson, 45, then moved the victims’ bodies in an attempt to stage the scene before calling 9-1-1.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys John Terry, Teresa Hall, and Karyna Valdes.
Police are searching for a man who robbed a bank. The incident took place shortly after 9:41 a. m., on November 18, 2021.
The robbery occurred at TD Bank, 9400 N. 56th St., Temple Terrace.
According to the Temple Terrace Police Department, a white male suspect in his 50s, entered the bank and handed the teller a note with instruc- tions to hand over the money from the drawer. The teller
complied and the suspect fled the scene.
In consultation with the State Attorney’s Office and The Federal Bureau of Inves- tigation, the Temple Terrace Police Department Criminal Investigation Unit is continu- ing to investigate the inci- dent.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Temple Terrace Police Department at (813) 989-7110.
UNCLE SANDY
Peace is the result of re- training your mind to process life as it is, 3, 12, 31, 46, 61, rather than as you think it should be, 9, 26, 31, 40, 57.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 21-A