Former University of Florida football star is charged with murdering his wife, 26, on Valentine’s Day 2016 after investigation by Oxygen TV series Cold Justice found new evidence
- Earl Joiner, 33, charged with second-degree murder in death of Heyzel Obando
- Obando’s body was discovered in her apartment – she had been shot to death
- Fort Myers Police did not release any other details in the three-year-old murder case, saying only that they worked closely with the series Cold Justice
- Joiner had been arrested twice for beating Obando during their relationship
- Couple’s two daughters, aged three and six, now cared for by Obando’s mother
Former University of Florida football star Earl ‘Tony’ Joiner, 33, has been arrested for his wife’s 2016 murder
A former University of Florida football star is behind bars after he was arrested for his wife’s 2016 murder.
Earl ‘Tony’ Joiner, 33, has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Heyzel Obando.
Obando, 26, was found dead in her apartment on Valentine’s Day in 2016. The couple had two daughters together who are now aged three and six.
Fort Myers Police did not release any other details in the three-year-old murder case, saying only that they worked closely with the Oxygen television series Cold Justice and the Office of the State Attorney.
Joiner was arrested on Saturday around 10.30am in Lakes Wales, Florida. He is being held without bond.
Two months after Obando’s body was found, Fort Meyers police ruled that her death was a homicide.
Joiner has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Heyzel Obando. They are pictured here with one of their daughters
Obando, 26, was found dead in her apartment on Valentine’s Day in 2016. The couple had two daughters together who are now aged three and six
Joiner had been arrested twice for beating Obando during their relationship, according to the Farmington Daily Times.
A month after Obando was murdered, Joiner was held at the Lee County Jail for violating a probation charge. He was released in May 2016.
Fort Myers Police did not release any other details in the three-year-old murder case, saying only that they worked closely with the Oxygen television series Cold Justice and the Office of the State Attorney
Isabel Martinez, Obando’s mother, said she hopes Joiner now ‘feels the weight of the law’.
‘As a mother, I understand the pain his mother is going through. But as a mother, no one is going to take my pain away,’ she added.
Martinez, who moved to Miami from Key West shortly after her daughter’s murder, was granted permanent guardianship of the couple’s daughters in 2017.
‘I feel stuck,’ she said. ‘This process has not been easy. Maybe with this news, now I will be able to move forward.’
Joiner was a star safety for the Florida Gators from 2004 to 2007. He served as team captain in his senior season.
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.
Joiner had been arrested twice for beating Obando during their relationship. They are pictured here when she was pregnant with one of their daughters
During his senior year, Joiner had 64 tackles and two interceptions, but ran into legal problems after being arrested for allegedly breaking into an impound lot to remove his girlfriend’s car.
Joiner is the second player from the school’s 2006 national championship team to be arrested for murder.
His teammate Aaron Hernandez played for the New England Patriots before he was convicted for the June 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd.
Hernandez was indicted for a double homicide the following year, but was acquitted in April 2017. Days later, he hanged himself in his prison cell.